1. I have not subscribed to airtel 3G services, yet my phone is showing 3G!
Your handset will display the 3G/3.5G symbol in areas where the service is available. 3G plans do not get auto-activated and must be subscribed to. To subscribe all you have to do is SMS 3G to 121.
2. At 30p/ 20 KB, airtel 3G seems very expensive for me!
We offer users a variety of plans optimized for different levels of usage and requirements, you should choose a plan that is right for you:
Pay as You Go: designed for users who access the internet on mobile only occasionally, this plan ensures no upfront commitment of a daily, weekly or monthly spend. At 30p/20 KB, or Rs 15/1 mb
Note: this plan is not optimal for regular and heavy users, we have different plans designed for them.
Sachet plans: designed for users who have short term requirements (1 - 3 days) of accessing the internet on mobile. Users can opt for:
1 day pack which gives 10 mb of data usage at Rs 9 (or 1.8p/20 KB)
3 day pack which gives 65 mb of data usage at Rs 60 (or ~ 18.5p/20 KB)
Medium data users: designed for users do not have very heavy data usage requirements we offer the following:
3 day pack which gives 100 mb of data usage at Rs 103 (or 20.6p/ 20 KB)
30 day pack which gives 250 mb of data usage at Rs 200 (or 20 p/ 20 KB)
Heavy data users: available in 30 day packs users can opt for plans based on their data usage requirements:
30 day pack which gives 600 mb of data usage at Rs 450 (or 15 p/ 20 KB)
30 day pack which gives 2 gb of data usage at Rs 750 (or 7.5 p/ 20 KB)
Power users can also take benefit of single FlexiShield plan which allows at a reasonable rent of Rs.675 an unlimited usage which is a mix of free usage at 3G speed, a very low VBC rate of 1p/100KB at 3G speed, and a zero paise VBC after Rs 2000 bill-value at a throttled speed.
For more details on the plans and for help with calculating mobile internet usage to determine the plan best suited for users, please visit: http://www.airtel.in/Airtel-3G/tariff_chart.html
3. I have heard that once I opt for 3G, my 2G plans are cancelled. What if I want to switch back to 2G?
airtel 3g data plans can be used on 2G network too. Even after activating 3G, you can recharge with 2G data pack and can enjoy data services on 2G network. For eg. airtel 2G data pack (Rs.98) will also work on 3G network but at 2G speed (40kbps).
4. How much data can I actually consume in your FlexiShield plan?
Users can access access 4500 emails, 1000+ photos uploads, 1500 web pages views and much more within the monthly rental of Rs 675. For further details check out the calculator here: http://www.airtel.in/Airtel-3G/tariff_chart.html
5. I opted for 3G, but don't see web pages loading much faster than they did on my 2G plan. What good is 3G to me?
Delivered 3G throughput speed is about 20X times faster than 2G speed. Web pages optimized for mobiles and wap portals are usually around 10 kb in size, and hence you may not notice a discernable difference in your browsing experience. Viewing web pages not optimized for mobiles, viewing videos, uploading and downloading images, sending & receiving emails with attachments is where you will enjoy a significantly enhanced browsing experience on 3G.
6. airtel's 3G tariffs with limits on free data usage have no meaning for me. How can you use today’s devices to their fullest with such mediocre limits. Why have these limits?
We offer a range of plans optimized to different usage patterns. We have plans that offer as much as 2 gb of data usage in a 30 day period, these are comparable and in many cases exceed regular broadband plans available to user who access data on their laptops and computers. For power users, we offer the FlexiShield plan which allows them to manage their monthly usage while enjoying the world of 3G. Also you can use the flexishield plan for a higher data download plan.
2GB is heavy usage? Seriously?
7. When will 3G be launched in my city?
We will roll out 3G services in the 13 circles where we have a license by March 2011. We are working on partnering with the best service providers in the other circles, to offer our users airtel 3G.
8. What is the point of having free data in packs if it is not applicable on roaming?
This is comparable with voice and even voice packs don't work while roaming.
Your 98 rupee 2GB 2G plan offers free roaming. I hope you realize that!
airtel 3G FAQs | Facebook
From what I see, Airtel is charging 375 rupees for 1GB. Which is like 40 times the cost of wholesale bandwidth available in India from the reports we have heard (assuming airtel pays less than 10 bucks per GB of data usage).
They are also delivering 3G speeds at 1 paisa per 100KB. that comes to around 10 paisa for 1MB. this comes to around 1 rupee per 10MB or 10 rupees per 100MB or 100 rupees per GB. still at least 10 times the wholesale costing. this i see is offered after 1.2GB consumption on the 675 rupee plan. after crossing 2000 rupee usage your connection is FUPed and your speeds are dropped to 20kbps (2.5KBps?!) for the rest of the month...
What a freaking shame. airtel says this is to limit your maximum bill to 2000 bucks. i say... WHY NOT LET US HAVE 3G AT 100 BUCKS PER GB OF USAGE? THIS IS STILL MASSIVELY PROFITABLE TO YOU.
If they had priced their packages at 100 bucks per GB, it would have made much more sense and still remained profitable for them. Not accounting the spectrum charges of course. But i do not think it is going to work for them if they are going to charge such a high premium on 3G services even in the beginning.
Also worth mentioning here is that... Airtel is not offering ANY plan that has unlimited data transfer. The best you can get is the 675 rupee plan that might give you 3G speeds till... lets calculate... (i am bad at calculations!)...
1.25GB - Rs. 675
2000-675=1325.
1325 gives you 13.25GB at 100 bucks per GB (i hope this is correct!). this is considering airtel charges 1paisa per 100KB of usage at 3G speeds.
so what you get for Rs. 2000 is 14.5GB at 3G speeds. this might looks heavenly compared to their other plans. but i believe tata docomo and reliance are offering a much better deal if you are ready to pay them 2000 bucks per month.
BSNL and MTNL are of course offering unlimited 3G for prices ranging between 700-750 rupees. MTNL has a soft limit of 200GB. TWO HUNDRED GB for just Rs. 750.
If you are a frustrated Airtel customer... Feel free to support the following causes:
http://saynotoairtel.com/
http://afup.broadbandforum.co/
Your handset will display the 3G/3.5G symbol in areas where the service is available. 3G plans do not get auto-activated and must be subscribed to. To subscribe all you have to do is SMS 3G to 121.
2. At 30p/ 20 KB, airtel 3G seems very expensive for me!
We offer users a variety of plans optimized for different levels of usage and requirements, you should choose a plan that is right for you:
Pay as You Go: designed for users who access the internet on mobile only occasionally, this plan ensures no upfront commitment of a daily, weekly or monthly spend. At 30p/20 KB, or Rs 15/1 mb
Note: this plan is not optimal for regular and heavy users, we have different plans designed for them.
Sachet plans: designed for users who have short term requirements (1 - 3 days) of accessing the internet on mobile. Users can opt for:
1 day pack which gives 10 mb of data usage at Rs 9 (or 1.8p/20 KB)
3 day pack which gives 65 mb of data usage at Rs 60 (or ~ 18.5p/20 KB)
Medium data users: designed for users do not have very heavy data usage requirements we offer the following:
3 day pack which gives 100 mb of data usage at Rs 103 (or 20.6p/ 20 KB)
30 day pack which gives 250 mb of data usage at Rs 200 (or 20 p/ 20 KB)
Heavy data users: available in 30 day packs users can opt for plans based on their data usage requirements:
30 day pack which gives 600 mb of data usage at Rs 450 (or 15 p/ 20 KB)
30 day pack which gives 2 gb of data usage at Rs 750 (or 7.5 p/ 20 KB)
Power users can also take benefit of single FlexiShield plan which allows at a reasonable rent of Rs.675 an unlimited usage which is a mix of free usage at 3G speed, a very low VBC rate of 1p/100KB at 3G speed, and a zero paise VBC after Rs 2000 bill-value at a throttled speed.
For more details on the plans and for help with calculating mobile internet usage to determine the plan best suited for users, please visit: http://www.airtel.in/Airtel-3G/tariff_chart.html
3. I have heard that once I opt for 3G, my 2G plans are cancelled. What if I want to switch back to 2G?
airtel 3g data plans can be used on 2G network too. Even after activating 3G, you can recharge with 2G data pack and can enjoy data services on 2G network. For eg. airtel 2G data pack (Rs.98) will also work on 3G network but at 2G speed (40kbps).
4. How much data can I actually consume in your FlexiShield plan?
Users can access access 4500 emails, 1000+ photos uploads, 1500 web pages views and much more within the monthly rental of Rs 675. For further details check out the calculator here: http://www.airtel.in/Airtel-3G/tariff_chart.html
5. I opted for 3G, but don't see web pages loading much faster than they did on my 2G plan. What good is 3G to me?
Delivered 3G throughput speed is about 20X times faster than 2G speed. Web pages optimized for mobiles and wap portals are usually around 10 kb in size, and hence you may not notice a discernable difference in your browsing experience. Viewing web pages not optimized for mobiles, viewing videos, uploading and downloading images, sending & receiving emails with attachments is where you will enjoy a significantly enhanced browsing experience on 3G.
6. airtel's 3G tariffs with limits on free data usage have no meaning for me. How can you use today’s devices to their fullest with such mediocre limits. Why have these limits?
We offer a range of plans optimized to different usage patterns. We have plans that offer as much as 2 gb of data usage in a 30 day period, these are comparable and in many cases exceed regular broadband plans available to user who access data on their laptops and computers. For power users, we offer the FlexiShield plan which allows them to manage their monthly usage while enjoying the world of 3G. Also you can use the flexishield plan for a higher data download plan.
2GB is heavy usage? Seriously?
7. When will 3G be launched in my city?
We will roll out 3G services in the 13 circles where we have a license by March 2011. We are working on partnering with the best service providers in the other circles, to offer our users airtel 3G.
8. What is the point of having free data in packs if it is not applicable on roaming?
This is comparable with voice and even voice packs don't work while roaming.
Your 98 rupee 2GB 2G plan offers free roaming. I hope you realize that!
airtel 3G FAQs | Facebook
From what I see, Airtel is charging 375 rupees for 1GB. Which is like 40 times the cost of wholesale bandwidth available in India from the reports we have heard (assuming airtel pays less than 10 bucks per GB of data usage).
They are also delivering 3G speeds at 1 paisa per 100KB. that comes to around 10 paisa for 1MB. this comes to around 1 rupee per 10MB or 10 rupees per 100MB or 100 rupees per GB. still at least 10 times the wholesale costing. this i see is offered after 1.2GB consumption on the 675 rupee plan. after crossing 2000 rupee usage your connection is FUPed and your speeds are dropped to 20kbps (2.5KBps?!) for the rest of the month...
What a freaking shame. airtel says this is to limit your maximum bill to 2000 bucks. i say... WHY NOT LET US HAVE 3G AT 100 BUCKS PER GB OF USAGE? THIS IS STILL MASSIVELY PROFITABLE TO YOU.
If they had priced their packages at 100 bucks per GB, it would have made much more sense and still remained profitable for them. Not accounting the spectrum charges of course. But i do not think it is going to work for them if they are going to charge such a high premium on 3G services even in the beginning.
Also worth mentioning here is that... Airtel is not offering ANY plan that has unlimited data transfer. The best you can get is the 675 rupee plan that might give you 3G speeds till... lets calculate... (i am bad at calculations!)...
1.25GB - Rs. 675
2000-675=1325.
1325 gives you 13.25GB at 100 bucks per GB (i hope this is correct!). this is considering airtel charges 1paisa per 100KB of usage at 3G speeds.
so what you get for Rs. 2000 is 14.5GB at 3G speeds. this might looks heavenly compared to their other plans. but i believe tata docomo and reliance are offering a much better deal if you are ready to pay them 2000 bucks per month.
BSNL and MTNL are of course offering unlimited 3G for prices ranging between 700-750 rupees. MTNL has a soft limit of 200GB. TWO HUNDRED GB for just Rs. 750.
If you are a frustrated Airtel customer... Feel free to support the following causes:
http://saynotoairtel.com/
http://afup.broadbandforum.co/
