India's best and worst ISPs

Once an impressive label, broadband is now fairly commonplace with more and more users subscribing to the purported "lightning speeds and 24-hour connectivity. "But not everyone is happy with the service levels. DSL users are comparatively happy with the speeds and reliability, but have a lot to say on the Internet plans provided to them.

"A fat pipe with measly download limit is nothing short of a joke" says Amit Tiwari, a soft ware professional working from home. Gamers are probably the most dissatisfied lot with latency issues and slow upload speeds. Rahul Purohit games online with a clear handicap of high latency and upload limits affecting his performance drastically, "There is nothing worse than losing a closely fought game against global competitors just because your Internet connection is pulling you down".

We put 13 Indian ISP players through the test with users rating them over speed, reliability, support and pricing. While national players like BSNL and Airtel fare well, cable internet providers like Hathway and Sify have a long way to go and it's high time they pull up their socks and deliver the goods. As our survey found, wireless broadband in India has taken off on a rough note, users are not happy and they were pretty vocal in expressing their concerns. Here are some of the key findings of the survey.

DSL has the Advantage

Airtel received the most favorable response in terms of speed, reliability and tech support. Almost 20 percent of the respondents were Airtel subscribers. The quality of installation might not be the most important factor but it certainly is the most ignored one with almost none of the ISPs putting efforts to improve the quality of installation. Airtel dominated the charts with 90 percent users rating it excellent when it came to wiring, installation and activation procedure. Shikha Shah is a satisfied Airtel subscriber from Mumbai.

A moderate Internet user, her expectations from an ISP aren't too high. "I need a 256Kbps connection that lets me chat, mail and surf. My postpaid Airtel connection fulfills all my needs. I just wish Airtel could eliminate down times completely" says Shikha. Airtel also emerged the most reliable service provider, with high satisfaction among users on their 512Kbps connection. Thomas from Chennai doesn't mind paying a premium for a 512Kbps unlimited account, as long as the speeds are consistent enough to watch streaming YouTube videos while he is chatting with his friends on a webcam.

BSNL also offers DSL connections and has the maximum user base in India. Almost 45 percent of the home users in India are on a BSNL connection. They have the maximum reach with an impressive presence in rural India. Where other ISPs have struggled to provide access in rural areas, BSNL has stood up to the task of bringing affordable broadband to the C and D class cities. BSNL users are happy with speeds but the satisfaction levels in terms of reliability and quality of installation are just about alright. Almost 35 percent of BSNL subscribers rated the quality of installation between Average and Poor.

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