The rage for accessing net on the go has led to entry of many major telecom players in the internet card market, and then they have ushered in their share of highs and lows. While the initial investment is indeed a costly affair, efficient performance and prompt support are the bare minimal expectations at this stage. Performance-wise, coverage area and Data Card Speed are the top two priorities, and while the company can ensure the first one operates smoothly, the second one remains a suspect due to myriad factors.
Tata Photon Speed promises an uplink speed of up to 1.8 Mbps while its downlink speed is mentioned as 3.1Mbps. They have also taken care to explain why the ‘up to’ phrase is so very important in this case. The actual speeds vary from place to place, depending on day and night time network traffic or even on the users accessing a particular site. With so many variables taking part in your data stream, it’s anybody’s guess what the data card might offer at any given time to the customer. Other factors and issues that might have an impact on Data Card Speed are the total distance and number of servers through which the data travels.
Reliance Netconnect Speed is also on lower side. It claims to provide 4x speeds as compared to dialup options but lists only 144 kbps as its download speed. However these speeds may prove enough for surfing and the reach of netconnect in about 24000 towns is sure to hold it in good stead once it ups its ante.
Tata Docomo 3G Speed is impressively high but the service comes with an equally high price tag. At 21.1 Mbps, one would expect these charges. But for people with limited needs, Docomo comes with a daily 3G pack of just 9 INR. On other hand, Idea continues to dish out its EDGE at 236 kbps with a promise of providing Idea 3G Speed on HSDPA network at 3.6 Mbps. So if it suits and delivers, an IDEA netsetter would be a good choice to go for. But as far as the speeds are concerned, TATAS rule the roost.
