Anyone use wireless networks in india??

[Dreamer]

Depending on volcanic activity, I may or may not be going to India on holiday.

I am wondering if there is a way to connect my 3 dongle to get wireless access in India on my netbook. preferably for free or pretty cheap

I know there are many parts of india that have poor coverage and the speeds are slow but I know a couple of the bigger telecom companies do provide reasonable services. Two I have heard of are airtel and tata.

Can anyone shed any light on the subject??

[dasteph]

depending on how long you are going for check if they do mobile broadband and see if you can get a sim for the local networks on a payg tarrif or something similar whatever you do do not use a uk sim you could end up with a very large bill.

[Dreamer]

thanks dasteph. I will only be there for a couple of weeks so I don't think I will be able to get a mobile network plan for that short length of time. I was wondering if there was an option to use a normal Airtel or tata phone sim in the dongle and connect my notebook up to the network using gprs as high speed net access is something of a rarity there

[Jim.Mahoney]

As fas as I know there is currently no 3G/HSDPA available. Most data networks in India at best use EDGE, slightly faster than dial-up!

You don't say where you are going when you are there! This can be an issue as India has more networks than almost any other country as you'll see here: GSM Coverage Maps | India

By all means if you're in one area buy a local SIM, I'm pretty certain (as here in South Africa) you'll need to have at least your Passport to be able to buy pre-pay SIM and if you have a copy of your itinerary I'd take that as here you need proof of address - It might not be necessary in India but be prepared just in case!!

[Dreamer]

As fas as I know there is currently no 3G/HSDPA available. Most data networks in India at best use EDGE, slightly faster than dial-up!

You don't say where you are going when you are there! This can be an issue as India has more networks than almost any other country as you'll see here: GSM Coverage Maps | India

By all means if you're in one area buy a local SIM, I'm pretty certain (as here in South Africa) you'll need to have at least your Passport to be able to buy pre-pay SIM and if you have a copy of your itinerary I'd take that as here you need proof of address - It might not be necessary in India but be prepared just in case!!

Thanks Jim I will be going to New Delhi and Goa. we will probably be purchasing pre-paid sims for the phones when we get there(if they let us). I know the speeds are pretty slow and the coverage is a bit sparse but I'm gonna give it a go . hopefully someone there can help me configure my 3 dongle to take an Indian sim and get internet access on my netbook.

[Jim.Mahoney]

Assuming your modem is not network locked, setting up the dongle "should" be a breeze!

Usually just add a new profile and enter the APN (access point name) and dial string!

For example Vodacom here in South Africa is:

APN: internet
User: <blank>
Password: <blank>
Dial String: *99#

I'm not 100% on this but I think both New Delhi & Goa is supported by Vodafone 3G! So Vodafone may be your best choice!!

You'll need to complete a form even for pre-pay! You can download a copy here:

Download Vodafone Applications | Service request and SIM Replacement | Delhi & NCR

Note that you need a photograph also!!

Enjoy the trip!!

[Dreamer]

Thanks Jim my modem is unlocked to will take any sim. I just need to know the network settings I think .

I'll check it out when I get there. we are only in Delhi for a few days so I'm not too botherd about access there Goa will be the one I am more interested in getting access. I had been told vodafone do not do coverage in Goa but they are intorducing 3g slowly in India so perhaps it will be available now. Thanks for your help and the link Jim. I'll probably get to Goa and never even put the notebook on .