Garuda mobile internet connection, unlimited internet

Garuda Mobile Unlimited Internet from MTNL Home

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MTNL Garuda is offering unlimited internet for Rs 299 a month - the cheapest by any ISP in India. There are no limits on any downloads. You can apply only after the Garuda mobile phone connection is activated. You have to fill in a short form where you choose between 2 options - unlimited internet or pay per MB of data transfer. After you submit the form, you get a receipt.No payment is to be made immediately, it will be added to your bill.

Then you are again sent to the admin department/stores of MTNL for issue of the data cable and CD with instructions. If your residence falls in between 2 offices, you may have to shuttle between the 2 offices.If the data cable, CD is not available at the MTNL office, you may have to visit the office again. The CD/data cable will be issued after providing proof of identity.

Configuring the internal modem is fairly simple, if you follow the instructions in the CD. Modem drivers have to be downloaded and installed on your computer. The password is given in the CD documentation as mtnl123 , but it does not work. They have shown the settings for Windows 98 PC, but settings for Windows XP are similar , except for VPN. You will have to contact their toll free customer service number 1502 to get the correct password. It is very difficult to contact a person at 1502, since the lines are always busy. The best time to contact customer service is at 8.30 am in the morning.

The internet connection provided by MTNL Garuda mobile is through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Around 4 am in the morning, you can get a good internet speed and the connection will not drop often. In the afternoon, especially after 3 p.m ,the connection is very slow. Though you will be logged in , there is no data downloaded and you will get disconnected after 1 minute. Also if you wish to update your website using any FTP software, you can login into the server, but then your connection will hang. My guess is that they must be blocking certain ports.

The Hisense mobile model supplied by MTNL does not have a provision for separate power supply, the same connector is used by the data cable for internet connection and for connecting the charger. After using the mobile for the internet connection for about 1.5 hours, the battery will get discharged. To recharge it, the mobile will have to be charged by connecting the adapator to AC power supply. During this time it cannot be used for an internet connection. So effectively "unlimited internet" depends on the charging /discharging time of the mobile phone battery!