Airtel GPRS vs Hutch GPRS

I was about to ditch Hutch for Airtel, primarily because of nation-wide GPRS coverage, but thought I should check first.

Is Airtel still providing a flat data rate? Is the throughput decent? My primary interest these days is in applications running off the phone itself, which rules out Reliance. Basically, the question is this:

Does Airtel have enough of an edge over to Hutch to dump a number I’ve been using a few years and go through the pain of updating everyone?
  • Avatar

    kalyan — Jul 28, 2005 12:18:58 AM — #

    Yes. Airtel still has the 600/month unlimited GPRS plan.

    The speeds are OK. It works great from the phone and for my palm. On your laptop, it feels like the old dialup days. But the coverage is pretty good. I do not know about HUTCH, so I cannot really cannot comment about shifting.
    • Avatar

      Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 12:32:21 AM — #

      Hutch has poor roaming coverage. No network in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, for example. Their GPRS pricing is also ridiculous: 50p for every 10kB transferred.

      BTW on Airtel prepaid I was paying only Rs 150 a month for unlimited GPRS.
      • Avatar

        shoan — Jul 28, 2005 12:44:49 AM — #

        In Andhra Pradesh, I pay Rs.500/mo flat. I get peak throughput of about 5.5K and average of about 3.5K-4K. The speeds are pretty decent and remind me of the old dialup days. ;)
      • Avatar

        kingsly — Jul 28, 2005 1:35:13 AM — #

        Hutch/Essar has bought out BPL Mobile... so they'll be getting a footprint in maharashtra and tamil nadu.

        But yeah 50p for 10kb is ridiculous.
        • Avatar

          Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 9:28:50 AM — #

          I think I'll go ask them again if they have better rates, before switching. They did have a plan where for Rs 500 you get 10 MB (or 100 MB?) free, and then you pay the regular rate, but that's still a rip-off.
        • Avatar

          Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 9:37:14 AM — #

          So I was looking at this page: http://www.hutch.co.in/corpsite/home/hutchworld/subscribe/charges.asp

          It says new Hutchworld subscribers have to pay Rs 49 a month plus access charges, while previous subscribers pay Rs 99 flat. Guess what? I've been a subscriber for some two years at the Rs 99 level, but my last bill said Hutchworld was Rs 49, which means they've shifted me to a more profitable scheme without my permission!

          Sons of bitches. This is it. I'm off Hutch ASAP.
          • Avatar

            raghav — Jul 29, 2005 2:15:34 PM — #

            Airtel reigns the world of billing issues. Beware, esp., of certain "Value-added" services initally offered free and then trasmorgifies to a paid one.
            • Avatar

              Anonymous — Dec 9, 2005 3:22:43 AM — #

              Airtel Value Added Service Will Suck Your Purse
              Airtel value added services like sms ,mms,downloads ar airtelworld are really costly they are charging 3 rupees for sms also 25 for sms ringtones 15+3(sms) also airtel live addon which comes on phone will not work but it will be also billed you will never no how you bill increases day by day.The only thing i realy satisfied is the GPRS (Mobile office) which is paid 250/month If you are using latest Nokia phones like 6020,6021 gprs settings cannot be obtained from airtel go to www.nokia.co.uk from there you will get settings for it I got nearly 65kbps (6.5 KB/s) (when connected via PC) speed using it.But mobile browsing is too bad.
      • Avatar

        thaths — Jul 28, 2005 7:53:21 AM — #

        BTW on Airtel prepaid I was paying only Rs 150 a month for unlimited GPRS.

        If I understand Airtel's labrynthian offers correctly, the Rs. 150 one does not include roaming. The Rs.600 one includes romain. In my experience, Airtel GPRS in Bangalore sucks. I've had much better connections in Bombay and Madras.
        • Avatar

          sriniram — Jul 28, 2005 3:00:46 PM — #

          I would agree about the suck factor of Airtel GRPS in Bangalore; especially on the 6600.
          • Avatar

            Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 3:07:01 PM — #

            I'm on Hutch GPRS right now and getting a comfortable 3-10 kB/s. If only it didn't cost so much.
            • Avatar

              kingsly — Jul 28, 2005 5:12:30 PM — #

              I think the only reason you are getting those speeds is because it costs so much.
              • Avatar

                Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 10:40:23 PM — #

                Heh. I remember when Hutch was flat rate and sucked. It is a curious seesaw we live in.
            • Avatar

              Anonymous — Dec 24, 2007 8:53:51 AM — #

              Your Pic
              Kiran, What's with your picture? it looks a bit funny. You should change it.
              • Avatar

                Kiran Jonnalagadda — Dec 24, 2007 9:34:57 AM — #

                Re: Your Pic
                What's wrong with it? And how curious that you should reply to a comment on a post from over two years ago.
      • Avatar

        vaishaksuresh — Jul 28, 2005 10:19:39 AM — #

        BSNL sucks more! I am charged 10p for every kB transferred.
        Setting up the connection alone transfers 2kB :(
        • Avatar

          kingsly — Jul 28, 2005 10:48:11 AM — #

          Switch to the unlimited plan Rs.349/month And you get GPRS coverage all over the place. it's fun to be online during a long train journey or when a bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere.

          The real drawback with the service is you only get around 19kbps max. but it's more than sufficient for all my work. I managed with it for a whole month while visiting my parents at a remote village where the mobile service itself barely works.(only works outdoors/high places)
          • Avatar

            vaishaksuresh — Jul 28, 2005 11:35:31 AM — #

            That scheme is available for postpaid cutomers, I am a prepaid customer. I've had lot many problems with GPRS provided by BSNL. I'll post about it soon.
      • Avatar

        Anonymous — Feb 9, 2007 11:04:05 PM — #

        Mistake in pricing
        In HUTCH it is 5paise for 10kb not 50p
    • Avatar

      wiredforlife — Jul 29, 2005 10:53:03 AM — #

      I'm stuck with a strange situation, so maybe you could help. Everything works A-OK with the Airtel GPRS connect, except when I try to login in to Y! Mail. It logs me in, but I cant seem to go to any of my folders. Similar stuff with submitting a reply/composing a mail in Gmail. Keeps giving me a "The document contains no data" error.

      Tried everything from flushing my cache and my DNS, to trying it out in IE. No luck. You ever experienced similar problems?
      • Avatar

        kalyan — Jul 29, 2005 11:42:40 AM — #

        I hardly use yahoo mail, but now that you have mentioned it, I do remember this issue the last time I was trying to access Yahoo mail via GPRS. Let me investigate

        - kalyan
        • Avatar

          wiredforlife — Aug 23, 2005 12:32:29 AM — #

          Strangely enough, I can now access Y! Mail - I woke up one morning, and lo and behold, the problem was gone.

          No idea what fixed it, but for the time being, things work. C'est la vie.
      • Avatar

        Anonymous — May 2, 2006 10:22:36 AM — #

        Y mail
        I experienced same solution is go to Yahoo.com & then select mail ICON
      • Avatar

        Anonymous — May 2, 2006 10:31:51 AM — #

        Y mail
        I experienced same solution is go to Yahoo.com & then select mail ICON
  • Avatar

    acmurthy — Jul 28, 2005 7:46:28 AM — #

    Why care about GPRS when EGDE is around? I saw this a while ago... haven't they rolled it out proper? I'm planning on getting N6021 once Airtel's EDGE strategy is clear.
    • Avatar

      Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 9:29:53 AM — #

      Isn't EDGE just GPRS++? Hutch already has it, and I guess it should be a transparent upgrade for anyone with an EDGE-capable phone.
    • Avatar

      kingsly — Jul 28, 2005 1:23:59 PM — #

      I wouldn't hold my breath for airtel to launch any service. They took out almost two years of press releases and ads about their 'gprs ready' network before they launched the service at really ridiculous rates.

      I bought my first gprs phone a few months after their initial ads/press releases... and I never got to use gprs on that phone. except for a few days when I got a hutch pre-paid card.

      And when they do launch the service expect it to cost an arm and a leg and some more.
      • Avatar

        Kiran Jonnalagadda — Jul 28, 2005 2:34:16 PM — #

        I think Airtel has realised that Hutch is serious about providing new applications all the time, and they have to play catchup. Airtel's data rates are currently much lower than Hutch's.
  • Avatar

    zeeshanmn — Jul 29, 2005 11:18:46 AM — #

    I have been using Airtel GPRS for 600/mnth for about four months now. It gives me GPRS on roaming as well. But yes, the connection is a bit shaky; at times, I can download 5kb data in 5 seconds, other times, it doesn't even connect.
  • Avatar

    jamalmohd — Aug 2, 2005 12:35:42 PM — #

    AirTel doesn't have a uniform tariff for its GPRS services.
    AirTel doesn't have a uniform tariff for its GPRS services. A person using AirTel's GPRS (unlimited access) service in part of Mumbai is paying Rs.5 per day which comes to about Rs.155 per month. For the same service AirTel is charging Rs.250 in Kerala. Tamilnadu AirTel customers are the most affected GPRS customers. In Tamilnadu for the same GPRS service AirTel is charging Rs. 600 per month. Why this vast difference in GPRS tariff. Many Tamilnadu customers are paying this amount with out knowing that they are paying more than double the amount of what a Keralite is paying in the adjacent state of Kerala for the same service. I request AirTel admin to take immediate steps to reduce the GPRS charges in Tamilnadu and have a uniform tariff for the INDIA. Shortly a leading provider is going to expand its mobile network since they have merged with a company who already have well established network. Early action by the AirTel will avoid losing its valuable customers.
    • Avatar

      Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 2, 2005 1:29:10 PM — #

      Re: AirTel doesn't have a uniform tariff for its GPRS services.
      As far as I know, Airtel has two GPRS tariffs: Rs 150 pm without roaming access, and Rs 600 with roaming. The first is what most people call "Rs 5 per day". I haven't heard of a Rs 250 rate in Kerala before.
      • Avatar

        jamalmohd — Aug 2, 2005 3:46:44 PM — #

        Re: AirTel doesn't have a uniform tariff for its GPRS services.
        Yes it is true. In Kerala AirTel is charging only Rs.250 per month for unlimited GPRS service (with roaming).

  • Avatar

    Anonymous — Aug 8, 2005 12:44:18 PM — #

    useful discussion
    i got a new gprs enabled phone and have been netless since i moved last week. i was exploring gprs on my laptop-cellphone as an option and landed on this discussion from a google search. thanx ppl. the discussion tells me a lot abt the pricing issues. think i will go for the non-roaming chennai airtel gprs..

    b4 i came here, i was trying to find out the tarriff from airtel's site. after 45 minutes of exasperated clicking i was unable to find it.. help nybody?
    their site is also ridden with flash animations that get irritating after a while.. yes im the edgy kind :p

    rockypg at gmail dot com
    • Avatar

      Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 8, 2005 12:57:08 PM — #

      Re: useful discussion
      I too have found Airtel's website to be largely useless. I have to depend on other Airtel users or their customer service to get any information.
      • Avatar

        Anonymous — Aug 8, 2005 1:45:00 PM — #

        Re: useful discussion
        So I understand from your other new airtel number post that you have in the end shifted to an airtel number. How are they treating you? what kind of a throughput is a realistic expectation and how much do they set you back by financially - including one time and recurring charges?

        rockypg at gmail dot com
        • Avatar

          Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 8, 2005 3:00:12 PM — #

          Re: useful discussion
          Throughput is not very different from Hutch. I've used it from a laptop only once and got between 3-7k. Not sure what Airtel's charges will be, since the first bill is still a month away. Zero initial payment.

          18k for the phone.
          • Avatar

            Anonymous — Aug 11, 2005 11:38:10 AM — #

            Re: useful discussion
            ok i went and talked to an airtel salesguy. he assures me there is only one plan to pay for gprs and that it it will set me back by 600+ bucks a month :(
          • Avatar

            sharninder — Aug 16, 2005 11:36:27 AM — #

            Re: useful discussion
            Have you used GPRS with edge ? Is it any faster than regular gprs ? Is it worth upgrading to an edge enabled phone ?
            • Avatar

              Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 16, 2005 11:52:09 AM — #

              Re: useful discussion
              I don't know if EDGE is responsible or not, but what I've seen on both Hutch and Airtel in the last month is definitely much better than what I got on a 6600 a few months ago on both networks.

              So, either EDGE is responsible for the speed boost, or both networks have improved.
              • Avatar

                sharninder — Aug 16, 2005 11:57:50 AM — #

                Re: useful discussion
                the 6600 is not edge compatible afaik. So what speed do you generally get with the 6680/6681 ?
                • Avatar

                  Kiran Jonnalagadda — Aug 16, 2005 1:41:53 PM — #

                  Re: useful discussion
                  Haven't measured since I mostly use it from the phone.
  • Avatar

    Anonymous — Aug 28, 2005 10:09:16 AM — #

    Dual Sim Card
    HI,
    Is it possible for having two sim card in one phone. Is thr ne nokia model having this type of facility... i want to put a hutch and Airtel card in one phone...
    pleas help me..

    regards,
    Anand.
    • Avatar

      Anonymous — Sep 16, 2005 12:21:14 PM — #

      Re: Dual Sim Card
      stil nt yet
      but u can go 4 eerrcisooin
    • Avatar

      Anonymous — Mar 21, 2006 6:17:46 PM — #

      Re: Dual Sim Card
      NO, that type of phone not available in market.
      U can use CDMA and GSM service togather in One Nokia phone.
      Like reliance and Hutch.
      • Avatar

        Anonymous — Apr 4, 2007 4:34:46 PM — #

        Re: Dual Sim Card
        can you tell me which phone is that
    • Avatar

      steve_john — Sep 11, 2007 9:41:40 PM — #

      Re: Dual Sim Card
      Yes, Its possible, U can use two cards simultaneously thru a dual sim chip, It costs around 75 Rs and supports almost all the nokia handsets. I used it when I used to run a mobile shoppee and had 3 to 4 Easy recharge cards. All u need to do insert dual sim tray, & dial *3370#, it restarts the phone automatically and switches between the networks.
  • Avatar

    Anonymous — Sep 16, 2005 12:18:40 PM — #

    gprs
    hii
    guyssss
    fuck hutch 's service
    as i had quit hutch bloddy gprs data chrgs ..
    but airtel is godd....
  • Avatar

    Anonymous — Apr 13, 2007 5:36:12 PM — #

    Airtel GPRS in Karnataka
    I was using airtel GPRS in pune.. 12rs/day tarrif.. that used to cost me about 12x8= 96 Rs./month as i used it on weekends only..
    they also had 250 Rs./month (dont know whether it was with or w/o roaming)..
    Can anyone tell me if ther is similar per day plan bangalore.. and how is the speed?(3-4KBps wud also work for me)..
    I want to know charges of GPRS without roaming...
    • Avatar

      Anonymous — Apr 13, 2007 9:04:34 PM — #

      Re: Airtel GPRS in Karnataka
      you use prepaid connection or postpaid
    • Avatar

      Anonymous — Oct 6, 2007 1:24:04 PM — #

      Re: Airtel GPRS in Karnataka
      I use Airtel Prepaid connection

      Mobile office for Prepaid costs Rs. 375 per month. Amazingly if you prefer to pay weekly it amounts to 75/week in effect Rs. 300 for 28 days :D

      The speed is pathetic. With an edge mobile i get peak speeds of 12 kbps at nights and usual download speeds of 3-5 kbps.

      But generally unreliable. I am thinking of shifting loyality to Hutch :)
  • Avatar

    Anonymous — May 1, 2007 2:53:34 PM — #

    Airtel GPRS is just ok>>>>>

Leave a Reply

You can respond with a photo by tagging it on Flickr with