Staying Connected in India

micro sims are issued by pretty much all operators that offer 3G services. Not in all outlets but certainly at company outlets.

Many offer the iphone as well so they have to offer micro sims.

Thanks for your input to macbook dongle plan, here are few questions, (1) dongle is yours to keep with rs 1234 ? (2) How long does it takes to set up at the office ?

So airtel for a sim card or mobile and sim as pay as you go?

What about a dongle for internet connection? Recommendations?

I think you might need to re-word that - what is your question exactly?

Probably depends on where you are (in terms of provider/SIM and their 3G network), and whether you're using PC/Mac/Linux. For example, most people I know in Bangalore use a Tata DOCOMO dongle and are very happy with it, but there's probably a lot of choice now. And coverage will vary depending on where you are.

I have an Airtel 3G SIM in my iPhone, registered in Karnataka "circle" (locality) and it has worked fine for data in Rajasthan, Goa, West Bengal and Kerala as well. It usually takes a while to get "registered" or whatever it is when I arrive in a new state though - sometimes up to a day for it to establish a proper connection with the local provider. I've now got in the habit of switching it off and on a few times until it's negotiated whatever it needs to do.


cheers

BTW, Compared to Vodaphone, I did not recieve any Advertising calls,NOT ONE when I had my Airtel Sim

Vodaphone drove me Crazy(Crazier) the year before.


vandy

On my Airtel SIM I was getting several spam SMS messages an hour in the first few weeks, and random cold-calls in Kannada trying to sell me stuff (I presume).

Then I discovered the "Do No Disturb" registry, which I gather is a national initiative. The Airtel one is here: http://www.airtel.in/dnd

I get very close to zero random hassle now. Actually, any sales calls are usually Airtel themselves!

In the first few days I got several texts from Airtel which then tailed off to about one a week. A couple of them actually gave me some free credit (as far as I could make out.I didn't get any sales calls at all. I was absolutely amazed at how cheap calls and texts were in India. I started off with just under 300 rupees credit and a month later still had 220 despite using the phone regularly.

Sorry for being unclear. I was asking did you buy your sim with Airtel and is it pay as you go?

I will be in Delhi,Agra, Jaipur, Haridwar, Mussoorie and Rishkesh, anyone know good networks for these?

Should I get a datacard or dongle? I'm a little bit confused with all this if honest.

Yes I have pay as you go ("prepaid") Airtel SIM. Had it since Jan 2011, works very well in my iPhone 3GS. Decent 3G speeds most places I've been. With my laptop I just tether it via USB - there are no tethering restrictions with Airtel as a carrier (whereas back home in the UK I would've had to pay O2 a stupid amount extra for the privilege).

I've used it in Goa, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Pondicherry, Kerala with no problems. I'm off to Uttar Pradesh tomorrow so we'll see how well it works up there.

Lots of folks use Dongles here, but I would check in the shop that it actually works with your laptop. If your phone can tether to your laptop (via USB or Bluetooth) then you can use it as a "modem" instead. I used to do this years ago back home with a crappy Sony Ericsson phone and it worked great... was my only internet connection for a month at one point.

Good luck!

Thanks for getting back to me, just a want to make sure I undestand correctly. So you have a pay as you go sim which you use. I have an iphone 4 here should I bring? Would the sim fit? Or should I bring my crappy unlocked phone and use that? Problem being no internet, but that is not a problem as long as I have my laptop.


What do you mean you get internet from a usb for your laptop, do you mean from internet cafes? Wifi?

Could I use my phone (obviously I would have to buy internet data package) as a modern if my actually handset (the crappy one) doesn't have internet itself, probably not hey?

Lastly are there good, unlimited packages for prepaid sim's with internet usage as I would be using a fair amount at times.

Sorry for all the questions!

I would bring both. If your iPhone 4 uses a micro-SIM then personally I would invest in a cutter so you can chop a normal one down to microsize. eBay have them. I'm told microSIMs exist in India, but you never know where you might end up buying from, and if they have the micro ones or not.

India is not really a country amenable to planning ahead You never really know what will happen... but that's why we love it, right?

No, the data goes from the laptop to the phone and back again, using the phone's 3G connection, over the mobile phone network. That's what I meant by using it as a "modem". In other words, the box you plug your computer into (maybe wirelessly), so you can access the internet when there's no WiFi.

No.

I only have experience with Airtel, but I would be surprised if there's any such thing as an "unlimited" data package. Even UK/EU plans have a fair use limit. Charges are cheap compared to the UK/EU though, and unless you're expecting to watch youtube videos all night (clearly daft) then it's perfectly affordable for email and a bit of web browsing, hotel booking etc. (Although many websites here are still pretty stone-age.)

Thank you so much for going through all this with me!

Ok if a cutter is cheap I will get one in case but would the phone be open to another network?

I'm a massive planner, but mostly because I enjoy thinking about it all. I will let go when there and totally enjoy it!

So I should just use wifi in areas that have (hostels etc) and when I do not have use the 3g signal from my iphone, as a modem? I haven't done that in the UK, will try before I come over so I know how to do it. I only have a 500 limit monthly package here but then buy more. But there is a network here where it is unlimited. And I can buy pay as you go with this? I will head straight to a phone shop in Deli when I get there.

A few changes made recently, posted here: Foreign Tourists to get SIM cards valid for 3 months only

Hi all,
Traveling to india soon and trying to navigate the world of "what electronics to bring to stay connected". I am very confused as I am not tremendously tech savvy. So here are the context and my questions:
We will be traveling in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Sikkim, Gujarat, and Kerala during our 2 month stay in India. We would like to keep in touch with family and friends in India as well as the US and UK during this time period. For the most part, we will be using email for international correspondence, and talk or text for staying in touch with people within india.
1) we are willing to get a phone and prepaid card while in india. what provider/service do you recommend, given the places we will be traveling to? Do we need to get a new phone or can we just get a new card and replace the one in our mobile?
2) should we bother getting a laptop "key" for connectivity or can we just rely on internet cafes? how pervasive is wi fi these days? what are the costs for each?
3) our current mobile is internet capable, so if we wanted to use it with a usb cord, would we need a data plan on the sim card?
do these questions even make sense? so lost!!
thanks for your help.
The vaughans

Hi will be coming to india in Oct, I have a blackberry 9790, if i purchase a sim card in India, how will i be able to activate my BBM?