We often grumble about Sancharnet's quality of service, but it still
remains the least-costly Internet service provider in Goa. Of course,
life can't be judged in terms of cost alone. If you have a deadline, and
Sancharnet lets you down, that's terrible. More so as a freelancer...
Earlier today, I was talking to Derek Cordeiro, and he
said he had a 14 hour uninterrupted Net session the other
day. "What about costs?" I asked incredulously. We here
are used to paying per the hour (earlier, by the minute,
when we had to make long-distance calls to Mumbai to retrieve
email circa 1995!)
In parts of Goa, broadband is a reality. Rates are pretty inexpensive,
with the advertisements talking about a basic rate of under Rs 400 pm.
(Do confirm with actual users, as these rates might not tell the whole
picture. Faster speeds cost more, there are caps on how much you can
download too.)
But broadband is available only in urban areas. In some other places,
like Porvorim, the cable guys seem to be doing a fair job of providing
Internet connectivity too. Software developer and PHP guru Mario Alvares
spoke positively about the service he was getting, no caps on downloads,
and how he had downloaded three CDs of (free) software in two days, or
something like that. Not a bad speed for us in Goa, who have been used
to the World Wide Wait for long.
So, I was surprised by Derek's solution. He pointed to VSNL
(which runs its operations in Goa, and also sells their
ISP services via the ATMs of banks like ICICI). They now
have 'unlimited' dial-up services, which cost just Rs 11 per
day.
If you buy bulk, the rates go down to Rs 7 per day.
(But buying a whole year's service to be entitled to this
lower rate might not be a very wise thing to do, considering
that ISP rates are falling all the time... and we don't
really know what new services might be on the horizon in
which parts of Goa).
So you get at Rs 11 per day, the option of unlimited usage (reminds one
of the 'unlimited' rice plates, now scarce in Goa but available
elsewhere, which allow you to eat as much as you can, for a fixed
price). Please note, this is the slower dial-up speeds.
Anyway, this charge is for the ISP access alone. NOT your phone line.
So, what Derek (and others like myself have been already doing) is to go
in for a Rs 500-per-month unlimited-Internet-access phone line from
BSNL. This charge is ONLY for the phone line, and doesn't offer Internet
access.
Actually, it's priced deceptively, like those Bata shoes, at Rs 499 in
'urban' areas and Rs 399 in rural areas. (Very few rural areas left in
BSNL's listing, so most get charged more in Goa.)
Combining these two services, it means that for under Rs 30 per day, you
have unlimited Net access (dialup), both day and night. You don't have
to wait till after 11 pm to get the lower rates!
This would be good for those who have a heavier need for
accessing the Net. But phone rates for Net access alone
are nearly Rs 20 per hour (very roughly, night lower). So
think of this option if you access the Net for over two
hours a day. See VSNL's unlimited tariffs at the site
http://www.internet.vsnl.in/unlimited/unltd_tariff_130105.htm
I must caution you that the ISP field has been very volatile, and one
doesn't know what options might come up, and in which direction rates
may change. Also, VSNL (which has its offices in Verna) is not the
government-run service anymore, but has been privatised to the Tatas.
If anyone has inputs of the types of Internet services available in
different parts of Goa, do share it here We might have something to
learn. In the meanwhile, I think I'll cautiously try out a one-month
unlimited Internet service from VSNL. Watch this space.... FN
