Network coverage in the hills - Kumily, Kerala?

rolfi

hallo, first hats off, this is realy a great forum.

I rent a small house in the hills in Kumily for six month (paste 'Kumily Kerala India' into maps.google). There I'd like to get mobile internet access with my laptop.

The problem is the Network coverage of the Providers that offering data cards.
I would be glad if it works with a USB Modem Stick (or some other kind of card, i have a modern laptop but don't know the different of all of these cards).

If not, does it work with a mobile phone connecting to the laptop? And if wich one, wich provider?
The main criterion is the coverage and it should be prepaid cause i don't have a Bank account in India. (maybe i can get one but thats a nother issue).

I would be thankful if you tell your experience about it and what options exist at all.

arunganpath

I dont think you would have problem of network coverage in Kumuli. You can check BSNL broadband. It should work fine.

Aishah

I have added a bit more to your title to clarify your question, and hopefully people who live around that area, may be helpful. There are a number of options for USB gadgets - Tata, Idea, and Reliance seem to the be some of the main providors - Airtel is also good for mobile phone connection using the mobile as a modem.

But more importantly is for you to find out what is the best for the area where you are . Do nothing until you are there - it is pointless buying something in the big cities, until you know what works specifically for the area you are going to be living in.

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"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

rolfi

Thanks for your supporting help @Aishah and the wise advice. That was exactly my problem as I'm still in Pondicherry I thought shall I buy something or make a contract that is not available in Kumily. But I will trust to get it there and report what I've got.

Aishah

I think that's the best idea - and do please let us know what you get and how it works. These sorts of threads are very useful information for not only our members but all those silent readers out there in cyberspace.

shashank.aggarwal

I was in Kumily couple of years back. My Communicator was easily able to connect to GPRS. I use Idea Cellular's Delhi connection, and if I remember correctly, I was roaming on Aircel.

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Travelogue - Around India

rolfi

Hallo, I´m so sorry for not answering so long. I was travelling.

The only mobil internet provider in these region is IDEA.
A mobile phone network provider offering IDEA Net Setter, 2500 Rps for the USB-Stick (EDGE/GPRS) and 600 Rps per month for unlimited browsing.
They offer it as 'High Speed' internet conection with 236 kB/s; but it´s slower and especially in the evening it takes very long somtimes to get some pages.

Aishah

Thanks rolfi for feedback - sounds a bit faster than the speed of my Airtel GPRS when it's working properly - but most times it's more like dial-up, slightly faster. (It is also EDGE provisioned). I pay 395 rupees per month for this but the original mobile phone which I use as the modem was around 5,000 rupees, so a USB stick is cheaper. IDEA is also the one which works best in Uttarakhand in many areas it seems too.