Virgin Mobile has launched a wireless Internet data card called vLink, with two tariff plans. vLink costs Rs. 2100. There is a promotional offer – a starter kit for Rs. 99 that allows unlimited data usage for 30 whole days. It has two tariff plans – Rs. 800 per month for unlimited usage. We wonder if there’s a “Fair Usage” limit here.
There is a lower price for moderate users, priced at Rs. 349. Between 8 am-10 pm, users will have to pay 25 paise per minute and in off peak hours (10 pm-8 am) 13 paise per minute. The pricing is not available on the website, nor on Virgin Mobile’s store. Tata Indicom has six plans starting for Rs. 299 to Rs. 1250, and had 100,000 data card users as of May 2008.
Too Slow?
The device offers speeds of 153 Kbps, the company has said. Frankly, that market has now changed, and why would anyone go for a 153 or a 256 kbps data card when Reliance and Tata Indicom are offering – rather, promising – speeds of 3.1 Mbps.Virgin has a franchise agreement with Tata Indicom, so both use the same network, but perhaps the EVDO network is exclusively for Tata’s Photon + product. This came soon after Reliance announced NetConnect, also a 3.1 Mbps service.
Comparison With Tata’s Card
With this launch, Virgin effectively joins the market of datacard providers in the country; others include Reliance, Airtel, Tata Indicom, and Idea Cellular. What we like about Virgin’s data card, is that it is plug and play – there’s no installation CD required, and the card doubles as a 1 GB pen drive, whereas Tata Indicom’s has only 50 MB available.
For the first time, Virgin is going beyond targeting the “style conscious youth” as it puts it and servicing small and medium businesses, small offices and home offices and professionals.
Related
- Virgin Mobile Ties Up With MySpace; Who Benefits More?
- “We Are Just Operating And Managing The Brand Virgin Mobile For Tata Teleservices” – Virgin Mobile CE
- TTML Follows Reliance Netconnect Plus With Photon+; Mumbai To Be A Digital City?
- RCOM Launches Netconnect Broadband Plus With Upto 3.1 Mbps Wireless Download Speed; 3G, WiMAX?
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12 Comments until now.
You don't need FUP on data cards because they have such awful bandwidth (average 2-3 KBps and peak at about 11 KBps) that it is simply impossible to download any decent measure of data on it. Their concern would be more about provisioning capacity on the network itself.
Please don't waste money on this product, this would be same as Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf and it is worthless!!!!!!!!!!!!
Super Low speed Internet..!
If it ACTUALLY delivers on 153kbps it will still be faster than the average speed I get with my reliance 3.1 Mbps modem
i have been using this for a few days now in delhi and seem to be pretty decent. i get upto 90-100 Kbps for browsing. any day a better experience than indicom or reliance.
i tried the reliance 3.1 Mbps thing a few days back but doesnt really go beyond 200-300 kbps.. so much for the evdo hype.
has anyone tried MTNL 3G / HSDPA? wud like to know the experience.
Then can anyone explain about reliablity of data cards. Which is reliable how much.
If you could please put your satisfactory level out of 10.
Vergin:
TATA:
Relinace:
Airtel:
idea:
You wonder whether they have a 'fair usage policy' or not?
Of course they do, as everyone does, no matter how strongly they say that they offer un-limited bandwidth.
Guys………MTNL really sucks like anything……i have a broadband plan of 599 with the speed of 256 Kbps but its not more than 20 kbps….also i've never been able to open the gmail since the connection keeps breaking.I guess any of these data cards would be worth much better than such a @$@&$@&^@& connection of MTNL.
try a GPRS EDGE card. It gives 384 kbps, and tariffs are good – unlimited use for around 1000/- from airtel.,
tried the reliance 3.1 Mbps thing a few days back but doesnt really go beyond 200-300 kbps.. so much for the evdo hype.
Virgin is bullshit am getting 2-3 kbps speed.
Iam using this for past 4 days and iam going to throw this fu%$#ing product.
Hi,
Mumbai Market is so competitive that there are three major operator in data card selling with almost 3.1 MB speed and now yvirgin is coming up with data card with 153 kbps, how Virgin will survive with such a low speed and even with such a low speed any web site will take maximum time to open which result in compelete dissatisfaction.
So think about it and reply me if I would like to buy a data card of virgin by what i should buy this card with such a low speed and it does not matter with the features.
Please revert.
Regards
Ajeet
Mumbai.