BSNL Dataone Broadband Blog

Dataone Usage Finder Software

2007-02-06T03:57:00.000-08:00

Check your BSNL dataone bandwidth usage with this software. It is downloadable from Dataone Usage Finder. The latest version will provide you the bill details too.

BSNL collaborating with IOL Broadband for IPTV

2007-01-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

IOL Broadband has confirmed that they are now going to work with government owned telecom company BSNL to launch its IPTV services in India.

They have already started the trials of this service on the BSNL Broadband network in Bangalore.

This collaboration was confirmed in a notification sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

BSNL is one of the largest broadband service providers in the country with around seven lakh broadband ADSL subscribers all over India. They recently upgraded their network to provide speeds of up to 2 mbps to their customers.

IOL Broadband added that they have also signed a revenue sharing agreement for its IPTV Service with Anytime. Anytime is a consortium of major Hollywood Studios including Disney, FOX, Warner, and Universal. This would allow them to broadcast unreleased movies on IPTV services.

Rumored BSNL Broadband Packages

2006-12-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

I recently read somewhere talking about these new packages mentioned in a local newspaper. We cannot confirm the accuracy of these packages though:

The plans according to a local paper from 1st January 2007 are -
Home 250 - 1GB limit, 90 paisa per MB over the limit.
Home 500 - 2.5GB limit, 80 paisa per MB over the limit.
Home 1000 - 5GB limit, 80 paisa per MB over the limit.
Home 1800 - 10GB limit, 70 paisa per MB over the limit.
Home 3300 - 20GB limit, 70 paisa per MB over the limit.
Night Unlimited on all Home plans except Home 250 is from 8 PM to 8 AM now.
There is no mention of the Home 900 UL plan.

Business 700 - 4GB limit, 80 paisa per MB over the limit.
Business 1200 - 8GB limit, 80 paisa per MB over the limit.
Business 3000 - 20GB limit, 50 paisa per MB over the limit.
Business 5000 - 35GB limit, 50 paisa per MB over the limit.
Business 9000 - 75GB limit, 50 paisa per MB over the limit.

Users are now more interested in knowing the status of Home 900 UL package. However, getting over 1mbps speeds on these cheap packages at night time is still a very good deal.

BSNL testing Triple Play service offering voice, internet and television

2006-11-26T05:55:00.000-08:00

After MTNL, it is the turn of the other government owned telecom giant BSNL to test launch their triple play service, which would offer voice, internet and television broadcasting facilities through a single connection.

BSNL’s director of planning and new services Ram Lakhan Dubey said that the tests of this service would last around a fortnight and after that, they would make it ready for a launch on a wider scale. They plan to offer this service to the subscribers of their internet services around the country.

The company plans to lay fresh copper cables to offer this multi-play network. And it would enable the customers to use television, internet and voice service at once. BSNL added that interested customers would have to pay the initial cost of the set-top box, installation. After that, he would be required to pay for the services he chose to receive.

This service is being tested in the Pune city in Maharashtra. BSNL said that it would remain free for the testing customers until it is commercially launched or up to 31 December, whichever is earlier.

BSNL barred from awarding GSM deal

2006-11-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has suffered a minor setback as the Delhi High Court has restrained them from awarding any contract for its GSM network expansion till the next hearing on November 16.

This decision was taken by a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kailash Gambhir. They were hearing the petition filed by Motorola. Motorola was disqualified by BSNL on technical parameters from participating in the bidding.

The original tender was opened last month for the mega expansion of its GSM network to add over 45 million lines over a period of three years. The project is worth around Rs 20,000 crore and Ericsson had emerged as the bidder with the lowest offer.

S D Saxena, director (finance) of BSNL spoke on this decision of the court: “We respect the direction of the High Court. Since the matter is subjudice, we cannot comment further in this regard.”

Mail: Illegal account Usage

2006-10-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

*Got a mail in one of my broadband forums......

Hi All,

Few days back I installed dataone broadband connection at my house. After initial installation of the Huawei DSL modem I was told that someone will contact me and provide me assistance in configuring PPPoE setup. But to my surprise none turned up, inspite of several reminders to the BSNL office in-person and on phone.
After great difficulty the helpdesk engineer provided username and password details for access. I configured my Win2K pc for RASPPPoE and started using the connection yesterday night.

To my surprise I found that account has been charged for 140MB of usage. I had actually taken a Rs.250 Home plan for 400MB and was shocked to see the above usage at my first login.

I came to know that BSNL has appointed third party guys to help users in connecting to the Dataone who has done this mischeif.

Complaint to dataone helpdesk is of no help till now and they are washing away their hands.

I regret now to have taken this connection and very skeptical in recommending to my friends

Improve The Broadband Performance In Windows XP/2003

2006-09-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

Well, before doing this....do this test

1) Goto http://www.testmy.net/ and click on Download Speed Test, and then on Smart Test....(and while conducting this test, don't forget to close all Instant Messagers, and there should be no other web activity, other than the test)

2) Note down the speeds.

Now, lets see, what all changes to be made.....

This tip is designed for increased BROADBAND speed in Windows XP while using standard Network Interface cards (NIC) that are connected to ADSL modems, or when using any directly-connected USB ADSL modem.

To speed up the Internet connection speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the NIC or the USB modem.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Step #1 - Identify the IRQ used by the NIC/USB modem

1. Open the System Information tool by running MSINFO32.EXE from the Run command.
2. Expand System Summary > Hardware Resources > IRQs.
3. Look for the listing made for your NIC (in my case - a IntelÂ® PRO/100+ Management Adapter). Note the IRQ next to the specified line (in my case - IRQ21).

In case of USB modems you will first need to find the right USB device used by your modem. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Device Manager tool by running DEVMGMT.MSC from the Run command (or by right-clicking My Computer > Hardware tab > Device Manager button).
2. Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it.
3. Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties. Note that you might need to do so for all listed USB Root hubs (if there are more than one) in order to find the right one.
4. In the Power tab, look for your USB ADSL modem.
5. In the Resources tab look for the assigned IRQ (in this case - IRQ21).
6. This is the IRQ we're looking for.

Note: IRQs and modem names might vary...

Step #2 - Modify the system.ini file

1. Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.
2. Expand the system.ini file window.
3. Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].
4. Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type IrqX=4096 where X is the designated IRQ number we found in step #1, in my case it's IRQ21.

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

5. Click on the File menu, then choose Save.
6. Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

Configuring BSNL Dataone on SmartAX MT882 ADSL Router

2006-08-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

This tutorial will help you to configure, SmartAX MT882 for manual dial....and the advantages??...more flexibility over the connection...

1) Select TCP/IP properties and enter as follows

set ip Address As 192.168.1.29
Subnet Maswk As 255.255.255.0
Default Gategay As 192.168.1.1
Prefferd DNS 61.1.96.69
Alternet DNS 61.1.96.71

2) Save settings and restart the computer.
3) Open your browser (preferably Internet Explorer ) and goto http://192.168.1.1/
4) Input as follows
USERNAME: admin
PASSOWRD: admin
5) Now goto Home->WAN Settings and there,

PVC Number - PVC-0
Wan Type - RFC2684Bridged
VPI/VCI - 0/35
Encap. - LLC

Apply and restart the modem.

6) Now goto Control Panel-->Network Connections
7) Create New connection-->(and a wizard will pop up) Next-->Connect to Internet(Select the radio button and click next)-->Setup My connection Manually(select it and click next)-->Connect using a broadband connection that requires a user name and password (select it and click next)-->ISP name (type something, anything and click next)-->Type in the Username and password given to you in the specified coloumns also select the other options if you want to (and click next)-->If you want to add a shortcut of connection to desktop, check that square box and click finish.

Diouble Click the Icon in the desktop to connect to the BSNL Dataone broadband connection, and either double click the same icon or right click the system tray icon to disconnect from BSNL Dataone broadband connection.

BSNL further reduces charges for their OneIndia plan

2006-07-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

BSNL is apparently disappointed looking at the consumer response to their recently launched OneIndia plan. The government owned Telecom Company has now lowered its rental to Rs 225 a month from Rs 299 for the fixed line services.

In addition, BSNL is also offering free calls to the interested customers. These new tariffs were announced at a meeting of the GSM Association in the presence of Communication and IT Minister, Dayanidhi Maran.

BSNL originally charged a monthly rental of Rs 299 with call charges fixed at Rs. 1 to any phone in the country. The general rental of a BSNL telephone is Rs 180 but it includes 30 free calls in a month.

The new tariffs include 25 free calls in a month. Local calls would be charged Re one for a three-minute call.

BSNL aims to connect all villages by next year

2006-07-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Indian government owned telecom company BSNL has said that they plan to connect all the villages in the country by next year.

BSNL Chairman and Managing Director A K Sinha said in a statement that all villages in the country would be connected through ‘individual satellite telephone’ network by March 2007.

The company would be investing Rs 150 crore on connecting these 14,000 villages through their satellite telephone network.

BSNL aims to provide at least one telephone in each of these villages and would be charging nominal charges for its operations.

In addition, they would be offering ‘triple play,’ a video service on demand, internet and telephone in Chennai and Pune in two months.

TRAI blames BSNL for stagnating broadband connectivity in India

2006-07-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

The Indian telecom regulatory authority TRAI has finally spoken against the monopolistic practices of the state owned BSNL. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Pradip Baijal has cautioned the BSNL against any possible measures it might take to monopolize the infrastructure that can be used to give broadband a greater push.

Baijal was speaking at a broadband seminar, organized by Bharat Exhibitions in New Delhi. He blamed BSNL for not letting the private players use their network for expanding the broadband network throughout the country. This is seriously slowing down the rate of broadband availability in the country.

He also talked about the measures taken by the Andhra Pradesh government, which took an alternative way to launch their own alternative cheaper broadband fiber optic network through private-public partnership. They had to take this step after the government owned BSNL quoted high rates for usage of its fiber line for this purpose.

This is ironical considering BSNL’s network has been developed using the public sector money contributed by the citizens of the country. It would be interesting to see how the story develops in the coming days and if the government takes any serious steps to make sure that, the public funds are used in a proper manner to help the common man vying for decent broadband connectivity in this country.

Trai blames BSNL for poor interconnectivity with private mobile operators

2006-07-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has blamed the government owned telecom company BSNL for causing the congestion on the mobile networks. TRAI said that BSNL is responsible for not giving sufficient points of interconnect (PoIs) to private mobile operators.

This has resulted in high level of congestion and poor quality service on the mobile service’s networks.

Trai secretary, Rajendra Singh has written a letter to BSNL chairman and managing director, AK Sinha in which he talks about the extremely high level of congestion private mobile operators are facing at points of interconnect with the BSNL network.

They have also requested the company to expedite the interconnection. The letter also refers to the 606 cases which are lying pending with the company as on April this year for which payment has already been made.

BSNL Broadband Unlimited Data Transfer Package

2006-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

BSNL Broadband Unlimited Data Transfer Package

As usual, this is breaking news on Broadband Blog.

After much wrangling, phone calls and abuses, BSNL has finally launched its unlimited access. The official notification is yet to come online- but it took enough grace on the behalf of Deputy Director General, Broadband, to give me a call and ask me to submit the application for the plan change.

For those who are following this Blog for regular updates- I would suggest that you submit your application before 1st May. Surprisingly, the Customer “Care” Centre is open on Sundays and before the billing plans change over, you’d be in a position to have the unlimited connection by 1st (hopefully). (The planned tariff is Rs 900 per month- decent I believe).

The “customer care” babu couldn’t think beyond the manual entry and was shunting me from one desk to another. I have seen the red tape and excessive fascination for rules and regulations from very close quarters. This is the naked fangs of Government of India in real life. I had to complain to the General Manager of my area to accept my application! Something that’s the job of a low-level clerk.

Arguably, the increased “competition” has made the things slightly better. BSNL has been forced to improve its service delivery; however, it remains a case of misguided enthusiasm. The average age of the customer care “executive” is 40+, which makes any enthusiasm on their behalf a BIG suspect. The men folk are pot bellied and sloppy; with reflexes so slow, that would shame a limping tortoise.

It would take some real genuine competition to shake up the things. Especially when the top heads are made responsible for the shrinking customer base. Shape up or ship out ought to be the new mantra.

There are indeed a lot of blemishes; the customer care toll free remains a model of apathy (what associated with BSNL isn’t) and despite the intentions to keep it as a central nodal agency for the complaints, it keeps you on a perpetual hold. A sorry instance of taxpayer’s money going down the shit hole.

Still, as the Broadband forums say, BSNL is government powered Broadband. We are happy to have something of substance, than be at the bottom of pyramid, like in Africa. Where arguably, the only instance of being alive is that well, you are alive.

It would take a huge post to list out the chronology of events/ chain emails/ mass mailings to the “honchos” of BSNL. I’d desist and instead focus on the other events as they are happening.

I’d like to end on a happy note here. Freedom from rationing access; and perhaps Broadband would deliver what it was supposed to do. A decent access finally. And perhaps for the FIRST time EVER in my LIFE. Unlimited Internet. Even if it crawls at 256k (best case scenario), I am happy.

Why BSNL Broadband is not revolutionary

2006-07-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

I guess some of us need to be clear about what broadband internet really means. So, please tell me why I should get rid of my dial up line and take broadband instead….this is what I think…; I need huge data over my internet line, that’s why…there is no other reason whatsoever for taking broadband, like showing off to my friends etc.. I need to do video chat, I need to watch online movies, play online games, share the photos and videos that I shot with my family/friend, check out the latest linux distros…. the list is endless…and all these need huge bandwidth… and for that I want broadband. If all that I needed is sending emails or making railway reservations, I didn’t have to opt for broadband, the dialup would have been suffice.
Ok, now why should I take 24/7 always-on 256 kbps broadband??? Because (1) I need that much bandwidth all the time and (2) I need it 24 hours a day, everyday. Otherwise, the plan would have been like 100 hours Dataone or 50 Hours Dataone package (like the dialup plans). Now, BSNL is giving ‘24 hours always-on’ 256kbps line’ but only 1 GB per month, which, by the way, is equivalent to 10 hours of dataone experience (@ 100 MB per hour). So, either we are expected to use Dataone for 10 hours in a month (at full bandwidth for 256 kbps) or, 720 hours in a month (i.e., 24/7) @ 414 bps speed (!!!), otherwise u have to pay @ Re.1.20 per MB extra. So, are they giving u the promised speed??? or is it just your illusion???
What BSNL is doing is giving you 10 hours of 256 kbps line or a 414 bps 24/7 line (or someting in between). You said dataone is affordable. Is it really?? You don’t have to compare Dataone with broadband in countries line England or Taiwan, at Re.1.20 per MB, Dataone is more expensive than dialup line in India.
People are forced to use BSNL because there is no real competition and people have less (or no) awareness about their rights.
Broadband means unlimited broadband, but we the Indians invented a new definition of broadband (like every other thing) which is unique in India, you can log on, stay connected with a high speed line all day long, but cannot use the internet….simply because it will consume data, and ur limit is only 1024 KB per month… ( then what good is ur broadband after all???) funny isn’t it??? No, its not funny, its a farce, a fraud, cheating with the people…. but the sad thing is some of us is jumping in joy saying ‘HAIL BSNL…’ without understanding anything.
( So, after the ‘very affordable’ broadband offer, ie, 400 MB p.m. @ Rs.250/-, if BSNL comes up with a more ‘extremely affordable’ offer like Rs.100/- p.m. with 100 MB data cap, I wonder what people will say then??!!!!!!)

Default Making the BSNL DataOne Wireless home network guide

2006-07-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Making the BSNL DataOne Wireless

So, Here is my Step-By-Step guide to configuring a Wi-Fi network with BSNL DataOne. Though many wireless routers claim that it is a no-brainer setup to configure the wireless network, I found it to be not as easy as it looks to be. For example, NetGear comes with a wizard that never works with BSNL broadband connected via HUAWEI SmartAX 880. For those of you desperate to take your BSNL DataOne broadband wireless, follow these steps. It took me more than 2 days to figure and come out with these configuration details.

Before I start, let me share what I have:

1)BSNL DataOne 256Kbps connection.
2)HUAWEI SmartAX MT880 (The modem supplied by BSNL).
3)NetGear WGR614v5

There are 2 steps to configuring your wireless network. First, you have to change the default settings of the SmartAX MT880 modem and configure it to enable PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet). Second, you have to configure the NetGear Router to talk to the modem.

Keep your modem, wireless router and your username and password from BSNL handy before you proceed to the next step.

If you want to change your existing configuration, take a backup of your configuration. This guide is to build your network from the ground-up.

1)Configuring and testing your Broadband connection
·Setup the modem as per the instructions mentioned in the manual. Ensure that the RJ11 (thin) cable from the splitter is connected to the ADSL port and the RJ45 cable connects your machine to the Ethernet port of the modem.

·Change the IP properties of your Ethernet card to the following:
192.168.1.2
255.255.255.0
192.168.1.1

·Open the browser and type http://192.168.1.1 to go to the HUAWEI configuration tool.

·Enter ‘admin’ as username and ‘admin’ as password

·Expand the Home node and select the WAN Setting

·Under this web page, configure the following:
PVC Number – PVC 0
Wan Type – PPP
Connection Type – PPPoE
VPI/VCI – 0 / 35
Default Route - Enabled
User Name –
Password –
Use DNS – Enabled
Max Idle Time – Always On

·Click on Apply and allow the modem to restart.

·Close the browser window

·Open the browser and type http://192.168.1.1

·Enter ‘admin’ as username and ‘admin’ as password

·You should see the Summary page. The Status is normally Red indicating that the connection is not ON.

·Click on the Plug icon in the Note column to connect.

·After the Connecting message, you should see the summary page again with the Status turning Green. Notice the IP Address and the Gateway Address.

·Expand Tools node and click on Misc.

·Type www.msn.com and click on Ping

·You should see Ping Result: Successful

·Click on the Lan Settings link under the Advanced node.

·Configure the following:
IP Address – 192.168.1.90
Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0(/24)
Local Domain Name – Blank

·Click on Apply and allow the modem to restart

·Open the Network properties of your Ethernet card and change the IP properties to the following

IP Address – 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway – 192.168.1.90
Preferred DNS server – 61.1.96.69 (BSNL DNS Server IP)
Alternate DNS server – 61.1.96.71 (BSNL DNS Server IP)

·Open your browser and type your favorite URL. You should be online by this time!

2)Configuring the Wireless Router and enabling the WPA security
·Connect the network cable from the NetGear wireless router to the machine.

·Open the IP Properties of your Network card and Enable DHCP. Select the following on the IP properites dialog.
Obtain IP Address Automatically
Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically

·Open the browser and type http://192.168.1.1/basicsetting.htm

·Enter ‘admin’ as username and ‘password’ as the password

·Click on Wireless Settings link on the navigation pane and configure with the following values

Wireless Network
Name (SSID) -
Region – Asia
Channel – 11
Mode – g and b
Security Options
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
Security Encryption (WEP)
Authentication Type – Automatic
Encryption Strength – 64bit
Security Encryption (WEP) Key
Passphrase -
·Click on Generate

·Record the value of Key1 – This is required when you log on to your Wi-Fi network the first time.

·Click on Apply and wait till the router reboots
(Wireless will not be enabled till you complete the next step)

·Click on the Basic Settings link on the left side navigation pane and configure the following

Does your Internet connection require a login? – No
Account Name – blank
Domain Name – blank
Internet IP Address
Use Static IP Address
IP Address – 192.168.1.91
IP Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0
Gateway IP Address – 192.168.1.90
Domain Name Server (DNS) Address
Use These DNS Servers
Primary DNS – 61.1.96.69
Secondary DNS – 61.1.96.71
Router MAC Address
Use Default Address
·Click on Apply and wait till the router restarts

·Connect the Network Cable coming from the ADSL Modem to the Wireless Router

Few things to remember –
·Don’t connect the ADSL Lan Cable to the Internet Uplink port of the Wireless Router. It never worked for me. Always connect it to one of the 4 ports excluding the designated Internet port.

·IP Addresses can be anything of your choice. But it is a good idea to follow the 192.168.x.x convention

·If you get lost any time, feel free to reset the configuration by poking a pin into the reset slot on the modem and the router.

·Don’t compromise on the security. Always enable WPA and save your key. Don’t let your friendly neighbors ride on your network!

Have a happy Wi-Fi surfing and drop a comment in case you want more inputs.

How to configure router to auto dial

2006-07-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

This procedure is for MT880:

open http://192.168.1.1/
Goto ATM Setting
Set
Connection Type: PPP
PPPoA/PPPoE: PPPoAPPPoE
Username:
Password:
Use DNS: Enabled

Now Submit this
Then click on small Magnifier glass icon in the last in front of Status, a new window will open, in then windows click on Always On and then submit

Then click on
Other Setting->DNS
here set the following:

DNS Relay: Enable
Primary DNS Server: 61.1.96.69
Secondary DNS Server: 61.1.96.71

Now you need to setup your network
Go to Internet Protocol Properties and set the following:
IP address: 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask :255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.1.1

Preferred DNS Server :61.1.96.69
Alternate DNS Server: 61.1.96.71

Thats it and your are done.

Hope this helps someone.

BSNL Data One unlimited

2006-07-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have just confirmed from BSNL head office that BSNL's unlimited plans are going to be launched soon.

Yes.

By mid of this month expect an announcement. This has come from Jt. Dy Director General(Broadband Network Planning) BSNL.

Rejoice!

Incidentally, I am seeing a dramatic improvement in the speeds.

Finally, my efforts have borne fruit. Still, I am looking forward to highlight these issues in the mainstream media.

Nuke BSNL...and write in to express your dissent.

Top 5 reasons to switch to BSNL DataOne

2006-07-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, I switched to BSNL DataOne Broadband connection from Beam Cable System. Though I was little apprehensive of BSNL, it was a pleasant surprise to see them being very responsive and prompt in initiating a new connection.
I am very impressed with the overall speed and the throughput that I have been getting. Never ever thought that the same wire which gave us that crawling 28.8K speed over the dial-up link can also give an amazing 384K speed.
It took me quite sometime to understand and optimize the broadband connectivity parameters. My requirements are not very different from what many home users would want. I was looking for the following:
1) Avoid extra cabling into home: This has been an issue with my previous provider. He had a fiber-optic cable running into my apartment where he put a switch and distributed CAT 5 cables with a RJ 45 plug into the subscriber’s flat. He ran a long cable into my computer room and later when we shifted the PC to another room, it was getting little cluttered. I am yet to see any flat that has structured CAT 5 cabling! Since I decided to go for a BSNL landline, I thought I can save on the cable and also it is fairly easy to shift the computer to any other room that has a telephone RJ 11 terminal.
2) Share the connection across couple of machines: This was another huge issue with my previous provider. He put the MAC address filtering on the server and it was a pain to share the connection across my notebook PC and my Home PC.
3) Always ON and NO dialer: I hated the dialer that Beam forced me to use. It was hogging memory and did nasty things like blocking all ports and all Ethernet interfaces. This means I could not use VPCs and create a virtual network between my host OS and guest OSs. This dialer actually blocked my loopback adapter interface. I had a demo the next day where I had to show my favorite Linux and Windows Interop demo through VPCs. When I confidently started the demo and tried to call a web service on my host from Linux, it failed! It was quite embarrassing to debug the problem in front of 250+ audiences during TechEd in Mumbai last year.
4) Avoid paying one more extra bill: I prefer reducing the no. of bills that I may have to pay in the first week of every month. During the monthly collection, if my house was locked, Beam was expecting me to come all the way and pay the bill. I just hate this. Switching to BSNL combines my phone and internet bill into one.
5) Dynamic IP and Zero configuration: As a laptop user, I plug into more than one network. My corporate network is DHCP enabled while my home network expects me to have a static IP. This was another thing that I hated with Beam. I wanted a simple plug-n-play network connectivity instead of changing the network properties twice a day.

Default BSNL has tied up with HCL Infosystems Ltd. to launch the BSNL HCL PC for DataOne

2006-07-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

BSNL is in the process of commissioning of a world class, multi-gigabit, multi-protocol, convergent IP infrastructure through National Internet Backbone�II (NIB-II), that will provide convergent services through the same backbone and broadband access network. The Broadband service will be available on DSL technology (on the same copper cable that is used for connecting telephone), on a countrywide basis spanning 198 cities.
In terms of infrastructure for broadband services NIB-II would put India at par with more advanced nations. The services that would be supported includes always-on broadband access to the Internet for residential and business customers, Content based services, Video multicasting, Video-on-demand and Interactive gaming, Audio and Video conferencing, IP Telephony, Distance learning, Messaging: plain and feature rich, Multi-site MPLS VPNs with Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. The subscribe will be able to access the above services through Subscriber Service Selection System (SSSS) portal.

Key Objectives

To provide high speed Internet connectivity (upto 8 Mbps)
To provide Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to the broadband customers
To provide dial VPN service to MPLS VPN customers.
To provide multicast video services, video-on-demand, etc. through the Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS).
To provide a means to bill for the aforesaid services by either time-based or volume-based billing. It shall provide the customer with the option to select the services through web server
To provide both pre-paid and post paid broadband services

Technical Capability of the Backbone The Broadband Service will be given through the state of the art Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based IP Infrastructure, which is designed to provide reliable routes to cover all possible destinations within and outside the country. Layer 1 of the network will consist of a high speed Backbone comprising of 24 powerful Core Routers connected with high speed 2.5 Gbps(STM-16) links. The routers are located on the national DWDM network interfacing at STM-16 optical level to provide for high transmission speeds. What advantage does MPLS have over other Technologies? MPLS VPN is a technology that allows a service provider like BSNL to have complete control over parameters that are critical to offering its customers service guarantees with regard to bandwidth throughputs, latencies and availability. Services available through Broadband

High speed Internet Access: This is the always-on Internet access service with speed ranging from 256 kbps to 8 Mbps.
Bandwidth on Demand: This will facilitate customer to change bandwidth as per his / her requirement. For example a customer with 256 kbps can change to 1 Mbps during the video Conferencing session.
Multicasting: This is to provide video multicast services for application in distance education, telemedicine etc
Dial VPN Service: This service allows remote users to access their private network securely over the NIB-II infrastructure.
Video and Audio Conferencing:
Content based Services: Like Video on Demand, Interactive Gaming, Live and time shifted TV

What the customer needs in order to be able to use Broadband?

BSNL's Bfone (Basic phone) connection
Personel Computer with 10/100 Ethernet Port
ADSL CPE (Customer Premise Equipment). This can be taken from BSNL at nominal rental per month.

When is the service being launched The Broadband Service has been launched in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata from 14th January 2005. Soon, it will be extended to more than 200 cities. Please click here for list of cities>>

Does BSNL provide PC for broadband access BSNL has tied up with HCL Infosystems Ltd. to launch the BSNL HCL PC for DataOne broadband customers in the country. For further details about pricing and configuration please click here.

How do I apply for a BSNL broadband connection For applying a broadband connection you may download the form from this page and submit the same at your nearest BSNL Customer Service Center. You may also apply online by clicking here.

Default BSNL dataone dsl broadband internet trouble shooting

2006-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Problem Error-678
Description This is most common problems. It is due to poor connectivity. Problem can be anywhere between B.RAS - Tier 2 - DSLAM - Modem - PC of the customer.
Remedy Switch off / Switch on Modem (Power Switch at the back of modem ) and wait for 2 minutes. Then retry.

If problem is not solved then Reset Modem [Back pin (in the hole) to be pressed in switched ON condition]
[Note : Link PC in black type Modem or WAN / LAN in white type Modem will go Off and then ON and system may be stable. Then retry.
If problem is still not solved then
a)Check link lamp in Black type Modem or WAN lamp in White Modem. If it is blinking, then it is line problem.
b)Check Modem to splitter connectivity.
i) Jack in & Jack out the cable of / to the modem and to the splitter
ii)Jack in & Jack out the telephone connection of the splitter.
If lamp is still blinking - then it is due to poor line condition / fault.
The case has to be referred to Area Broadband Team for attending the fault.

Problem Error-691
Description User id and Password problem.
Remedy The case is to be referred to Central Broadband Team (08.00 AM to 08.00 PM). Central Broadband Team will reset the password and intimate that password has been reset.

Problem Error-769
Description LAN not enabled.
Remedy

The LAN Card has to be enabled by following the steps given below.
i)Go to Desktop.
ii)Click "My Network Place".
iii)Select Properties.
iv)Click "Enable the local network".

Problem Error- 797
Description Modem or LAN driver problem
Remedy Reset the Modem (in on condition ) by pressing button available in the backside hole of the modem and wait for 2 mintues and then log on. If the problem is not solved then call your vendor to check computer LAN Card driver.

Problem Error-718
Description i)Peak Hour - This problem occurs if loading is high on the system and number of customers exceed the call handling capacity of B.RAS.
ii)Slack Hour -This problem occurs if PPPoE is corrupted.
Remedy i)Peak Hour - Please try after some time.
ii)Slack Hour - Please load PPPoE again.

Problem Error - 630-633
Description Computer LAN Card problem.
Remedy LAN Card has to be changed.

Problem OSP Internet is working, Data One is not working
Description Cable Internet is working. Tata / Reliance is working but Data One is not working. Data One is working through LAN Card. Problem can be seen by observing PC lamp (in black modem) LAN lamp ( in white modem) which might not be glowing or may be blinking.
Remedy LAN Card has to be changed.

Problem Site not opening from Data One
Description From VSNL sites are opening, Dial-Up sites are opening but from Data One sites are not opening. Probable reasons
i)Internet explorer is not supporting the Pope (may be pirated OS).
ii)Virus corrupting Internet explorer.
Remedy The customer is requested to set it right.

Problem BSNL BB DNS server may be having problem.
Description DNS is not responding.
Remedy Ping-61.1.96.69 or 61.1.96.71 and check up whether DNS is responding.

Broadband Utilities
To see usage details Log in to Broadband, Go to 10.240.43.216 or 10.150.128.195.
Click on Service Record. Details of the current month usage and previous month will be shown.

To change password Log in to Broadband, Go to 10.240.43.216 or 10.150.128.195.
Click on 'change password', give 'Old password', 'New password' and confirm. Password will be changed.

Trouble shooting of Broadband Modems

White Modem
After switch ON wait for 2 to 3 minutes to get the modem stable.
If telephone line / dial tone problem, contact '198'.
If Broadband / Internet not working, contact '1600-424-1600'.

Lamp features
i)Power - ON - Red
ii)WAN -Yellow
when stable OK
when blinking Data transfer
when not stable Line is faulty
iii) LAN - Green
when stable OK
when blinking fast Data transfer
when blinking slow Modem to PC link problem
iv)PPPoE - No use.
Reset pin is at backside Hole - to be reset whenever required in ON condition of the modem.

Black Modem
After switch ON wait for 1to 2 minutes to get the modem stable.
If telephone line / dial tone problem, contact '198'.
If Broadband / Internet not working, contact '1600-424-1600'.

Lamp features
i)Power - ON - Red
ii)WAN -Yellow
when stable line is OK
when blinking slow, line trouble.
iii)PC - Green when stable OK
PC - Off- PC not connected
iv)Data - Green - Flashing - Data transfer
Reset pin is at backside Hole - to be reset whenever required in ON condition of the modem.

Default BSNL dsl broadband One India boo boo

2006-07-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

BSNL has 38 million customers. It declared profits of 10, 000 crores.

It announced the much hyped One-India plan with a smiling idiot claiming “death of distance”;full page advertisements et al.

Someone must have been reading this blog where I trashed the idea of One India plan. It sounds great in theory but frankly, it works out to be very expensive in the long run.

As such, as the results are out, only 0.6% of BSNL’s customers have signed on. This is as per the estimates. The actual number may be far less. BSNL needs atleast 40% of the customer base to make it work. Yes, 40%.

Yeah Gods! Would someone just f***ing drill some sense in their brains? Or whatever version of hardware they carry on their necks?

The same argument can be extended on to broadband. There is no rush; equipment shortages has resulted in artificial scarcity. Further, the captive base is ready to leave it once greener pastures are in sight. I don’t see them around me as yet. However, I swear on whatever is above in the sky- I would be the first customer to leave them if and when I have an option.

Huge amounts of public funds are being wasted over to give some bragging rights. We are surely far away from the “Indian Telecom Dhamaka”. No one is rioting as yet; the NASSCOM claims ring hollow that it’s “literally raining Information Technolongy” in India; while India becomes a “back office space for the world (an euphemism for cyber coolies) we are glad to call that as an oppurtunity and assert our right on the world stage.

A computer here/ there or One India plan doesn’t make Indian Telecom happening. Service levels are all time low and there might be some hope that regulator might assert itself. While the gory Department of Telecom subsists on the dead corpses.

The same way the Marxists do.

When would we see some sanity?

Default Unlimited Bandwidth Packages on BSNL Broadband

2006-07-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Unlimited Bandwidth Packages on BSNL Broadband
As usual, I quote from the officer’s mail. The emphasis is mine.

We also are aware that there are some segment(sic) of customer for whom the unlimited plan is going to be the right choice. That’s why this case has been initiated. The details of the plan is still under deliberation and we expect it to be finalized by mid of next month.
The same will be intimated through our website, the moment it is launched. Yes, I will personally intimate you also(sic) through e-mail.

Could I have my head swelled up here? The officer himself is going to mail me back!
So now, the spelling mistakes are gone; grammatical bloopers remain. Surely, someone has read the previous posts!
I hope they make it earlier; I need the unlimited bandwidth desperately for updating through medical journals.
There are other developments too; I am restricting myself at the moment for these announcements. It’s a good feeling that my efforts have borne some fruit. Though my fingers have actually worne out tapping on the keyboard incessantly.
By the way, this mail came in after two mails were sent; the last one specifically mentioned whether there is an official dictated policy as to refuse any query from a consumer. More or less a stinker.
Once the CNN-IBN deal comes through (if at all it happens), I would DEFINITELY highlight the present impasse. BSNL remains a public organisation and these officers are public “servants”. Who died and made them God? What divine right they have to pimp their last mile access? Why can’t these officer’s be made accountable for their lapses and mental harrasment?
Tough questions but no answers forthcoming.

Default BSNL: Is it monopolised as per law ?

2006-07-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a mail from one of our guests who thought its more convenient to send a mail then to post it here himself. Any way i am posting his mail here as he orignally intended to.

I am seriously thinking of taking my complaint to Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commision. I am sick and tired of “representations”, mailing and “prostrating” before these bloody new age demi Gods, who feel that they have the divine right to hoard up bandwidth and give us such a crappy service.
I am sick of counting my bytes, day in day out. Whatever I wish to surf, the whole thing is logged by some creep sitting with the server. Repeated mails draws in no response. Neither the Public Grievances mechanism is functional despite UPA Government coming out with full page advertisements in the leading dailies. Surprisingly, you would see so many adverts from Ministry of Consumer Affairs. They are at pains to point out the “consumer rights”. Actual implementation fails sorely.
One thing that has been keeping me away from filing a full fledged legal suit is time and resources. I would stick on to this like a flea on a dog and pursue the whole matter to it’s logical conclusion. Still, there is no hope at the moment. I am under no grand illusion that I can change the system. 50 years and it hasn’t. But surely these people deserve more than a rap on their knuckles. There ought to be some accountability! For God’s sake!
It’s clear that BSNL’s Broadband is a monopoly. Indeed. However, how do we explain it in legal terms?
This particular section of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commision law is taken from some website and states:

Misleading advertisement and False Representation
Falsely representing that goods and services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, composition or style.
Falsely representing any second hand renovated or old goods as new.
Representing that goods or services, seller or supplier have a sponsorship, approval or affiliation which they do not have.
Making a false or misleading representation concerning need for, or usefulness of goods or services.
Giving to public any warranty, guarantee of performance that is not based on an adequate test or making to public a representation which purports to be such a guarantee or warranty.
False and misleading claims with respect to the price of goods or services.
Giving false or misleading facts disparaging the goods, services or trade of another person or concern.

Under what heading or grounds I can make a representation to the Commision? Just that my ISP doesn’t permit more than 1 GB of upload/download? Or charging Rs 1.20p for every subsequent MB? How much does it charge them to provide the services anyway?
One way out could be via Right to Information act. Though, who wants to step in the smelly dungy bylanes infested with clerks? I just balk at entering any office unless absolutely essential. Or this gets highlighted in the mainstream media. Seriously. The very thought of media with it’s spy cams sends shivers down their spines. No one wants to be highlighted or made a scape goat. It can work but is ANYONE LISTENING? I am ready to write in, “suggest” but please highlight this hassle with access. Or mainstream media can get some “soundbytes” while I refute their claims. That would be great! I seriously want to lampoon the chap who claims that you need a Pentium 4 based PC to run BSNL broadband. Old timers here know that he is in the indiabroadband.net “Hall of Fame”!
So, I would be thankful in case anyone illuminates me about the merits of the case; I am ready to pursue the complaint only if I have a strong prima facie evidence.
For it’s size, BSNL does have a legal department and I don’t want to give any lawyer enough reasons to exercise his/her legalese on me. Once I am convinced I am right, there is no stopping from putting up a brave fight. Life’s trials and tribulations!
Is there no way to make them accountable?
Are we emasculated to such an extent that bing radical is taken as an aberration?

BSNL to launch video conferencing services later this month

2006-07-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

State owned telecom company BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has announced that they would be launching their video conferencing services by the end of this month. This would enable the subscribers of their services to not only talk to each other but also see them on a video screen. This facility would be very beneficial to the corporate users of their services who can now hold virtual conferences.
Subscribers of this new service from the company would have to install a video end-point (H.323 standard), which is widely available in the market. Users having access to a computer would be able to use the services by downloading a free software called `PVX’ from BSNL’s Web portal. However, the service is only expected to lure the corporate users, as individual users would find the offer from the company to be very expensive for casual purposes.
The service would require at least an ISDN line, which has a minimum rental of Rs 400 a month. BSNL is also charging a non-refundable one-time registration fee of Rs 200 and a monthly rental of Rs 100. Using the service would cost an additional Rs 10 per minute. BSNL also has plans to offer this facility at its customer service centers across 94 cities.
BSNL would be launching this service in as many as 94 cities including Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Shillong, Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi, Gurgaon, and Aurangabad. This would be expanding to a much wider network in the second phase of expansion.

BSNL offering free landline with Broadband Connection

2006-07-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

State owned Telecom Company BSNL has been losing customers of their telecom services ever since the private operators entered the market. The company now plans to strike back as they have decided to offer free landline phones for customers opting for their broadband services.
The company hopes that they would lure back a lot of users with this new offering as the demand for broadband connectivity is increasing phenomenally in the Indian market. Consumers are not interested in paying for something they do not plan to use and this has made BSNL offer the telephone connection for free without any rental along with the broadband connection.
This scheme is expected to be launched across the country in the coming months. The reports coming in say that the consumer would be required to pay a single activation charge, which is likely to be Rs 100. Rentals are expected to be either minimal or simply zero and the consumers would be required to pay only the costs of the phone calls.
BSNL currently offers broadband packages with costs varying from Rs 250 to Rs 3,300 for the home users. For the corporate users, the packages start from Rs 700 and go up to Rs 9,000 per month depending on the bandwidth.

BSNL aiming to add 46,000 new broadband customers

2006-07-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

State owned Telecom Company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced their plans to more than double their customer base within a month as the company aims to meet their aim of ending the current financial year with 85,000 broadband customers.
BSNL is mainly targeting the Maharashtra and Goa circles for these additional users. The company currently has close to 39,000 customers and is rumored to be interested in soon launching new unlimited data transfer plans for their customers.
Airtel Broadband is their prime competitor and many consumers have left BSNL to get Airtel connections for their unlimited packages. However, if the story of the upcoming unlimited packages is true, BSNL just might be able to lure in their desired number of new customers.
However, looking at the quality of their customer support and networking department… they would need a miracle to double their customer base within a month’s time.
BSNL is hoping that their upcoming value added services offering would bring in new customers to their broadband services. The company has plans to provide value added services including cable TV and video on demand through its connections

DataOne user manual

2006-07-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

here is the file of bsnl dataone official user manual which i am sure is unheard for many of us so i am posting it here ,hope this helps those who been looking for it

its a 2.25mb file with a very good set of descriptive photos

DOWNLOAD USER MANUAL

BSNL Dataone Tariff

2006-07-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Here are the BSNL dataone tariff's and are straight from thier website , correct at time of posting so plz check bsnl site for current prices

and dont forget to post your comments about thier tariff's and value for money if there is any