Atria Convergence Technologies or ACT Fibernet is looking to counter JioFiber and other Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country through bundled content offerings. Broadband operators in the country are focusing heavily on offering OTT app subscriptions for free to the customers so that the users will join. ACT Fibernet is also looking to follow the same route. The Bengaluru-based company already has partnerships with OTT platforms like Netflix, ZEE5, Yupp TV, Hungama, HOOQ and SonyLIV. However, ACT Fibernet aims to become an integrated platform by providing services such as gaming and smart home experiences. This sounds very much identical to JioFiber and it’s smart home services where users can experience games and virtual reality services.

ACT Fibernet Wants to Become One-Stop Shop for Content

Speaking with Livemint, ACT Fibernet, CEO, Bala Malladi, stated “We are not the masters of the universe when it comes to content. We can, however, become a one-stop-shop for you and deliver content through partnerships.” ACT Fibernet already has some content partnerships in place, however, the ISP is not providing any full-fledged free content subscription to the users.

Earlier this year in March, ACT Fibernet partnered with Netflix to provide up to Rs 500 discount on monthly Netflix bill if a customer opts to pay it via ACT Fibernet. So here’s how it works- ACT Fibernet has launched some ACT Entertainment plans in select cities and these plans ship with a discount offer for Netflix. If a customer opts for Netflix subscription through ACT Fibernet, the company will provide a discount of up to Rs 500 on monthly Netflix bill. Assume if you’re in Hyderabad and on the ACT Giga plan of Rs 5,999 that offers Rs 500 discount on Netflix subscription; If you choose the Netflix Basic plan worth Rs 500, then ACT Fibernet will provide the Rs 500 discount, thus making the subscription entirely free. The minimum discount provided by ACT Fibernet is Rs 250 and the maximum is Rs 500.

In addition, these Netflix plans also ship with extra data compared to the standard broadband plans of ACT Fibernet. “If you subscribe to Netflix through us, you will get a discounted price. We also have a lot of events planned around the gaming community, which is a loyal customer base for us,” added Bala further.

Likewise, ACT Fibernet is offering one month of ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 99 for new customers, post which users can pay to ZEE5 through ACT Fibernet bill. All the ACT Fibernet users will be eligible for Yupp TV subscription free for six months and SonyLIV subscription for one month.

Bharti Airtel is Unbeatable in the Content Offerings Segment

JioFiber stated that it would provide OTT apps subscription through its broadband plans, but the company did not reveal any details. When it comes to content offerings, Bharti Airtel is the leader as the broadband plans of Airtel V-Fiber come with almost all the popular OTT service subscriptions available in India. Airtel Broadband plans above Rs 1,099 ship with all the Airtel Thanks membership benefits. Customers of Airtel V-Fiber will be eligible for free Netflix membership worth Rs 1,5000 for three months, one year of free Amazon Prime membership worth Rs 999, ZEE5 Premium subscription that renews every month, and on top, Airtel Xstream subscription will also be given to the customers. The missing subscription in this list is Hotstar which Jio is expected to provide with its broadband plans.

Spectra, which is currently the leading broadband service provider, according to Netflix Speed ISP Index, has a new offer on its yearly broadband plans. Spectra was the second Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the country to provide 1 Gbps broadband plans, after ACT Fibernet. As part of the new offer, Spectra broadband users choosing the yearly 1 Gbps plan by paying Rs 21,934 will get an extra nine months of service for free and unlimited data as well. Spectra is offering the 1 Gbps broadband plan in various cities right now including Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru. Also, the ISP is providing broadband plans for one month, three months, six months and one year. If a customer chooses the 1 Gbps plan for one year, then Spectra will waive off the charges by 43%, thus bringing the effective price to Rs 885 per month.

Spectra 1 Gbps Yearly Plan Benefits Detailed

As noted, Spectra is providing this 1 Gbps broadband plan in various cities. As part of its yearly offer, Spectra is shipping the 1 Gbps plan for one year at Rs 21,934. If a customer pays the said amount, then the company will deliver them 21 months of service, which brings the effective price of 1 Gbps plan per month to Rs 885. Also, Spectra will waive off installation charges as well for yearly plan users and the plan also ships with unlimited data without any FUP limit. Lastly, users will get D-Link 825 AC 1200 dual-band gigabit router on a returnable basis from the company.

Spectra is also providing the 1 Gbps plan in three other forms- monthly, three months and six months. For the customers choosing the plan for six months, Spectra will charge Rs 10,967, and the benefits include an extra one month service, unlimited data and free installation. Users will also get free D-Link router from Spectra.

Talking about the three months offer, users will get 1000GB data per month and 50% discount on installation, and the overall charges include Rs 8,073 (Rs 2,000 charges for the D-Link router). Lastly, for one month, the 1 Gbps broadband plan from Spectra costs Rs 1,549 and it will offer just 500GB of data per month, which is underwhelming.

Other Spectra Broadband Plans Detailed

Spectra also has two more broadband plans on board- Spectra Faster and Spectra Fast providing 500 Mbps and 250 Mbps speeds, respectively. The Spectra Faster plan for one year costs Rs 17,686, and it comes with 500 Mbps speeds, unlimited data, extra six months of service and free installation. Overall, the yearly plan will come at an effective price of Rs 833 per month.

With the six months subscription of Spectra Faster, the ISP is charging Rs 8,843 and providing unlimited data, extra one month of service and free installation. With three months subscription, users can avail 1000GB data per month and 50% discount on the installation. Lastly, for one month, the plan costs Rs 1,249 and it ships with 500GB data every month.

Last on the list, we have the Spectra Fast broadband plan that costs Rs 999 per month and comes with 250 Mbps speeds. The Spectra Fast plan also offers Data Carry Forward functionality, similar to Airtel V-Fiber and You Broadband.

When the subscribers think of the TV and broadcasting industry, the few companies that pop into the minds of people are the DTH service providers like Tata Sky and Dish TV. There is no doubt that the industry is structured in such a way that the DTH operators are given more preference as compared to the cable operators. In fact, the dent which came as the part of the erosion of subscribers from the industry, as highlighted by the KPMG Media and Entertainment industry report, was also delivered to the cable operators more rather than the DTH operators. The industry lost around 12-15 million subscribers in the last year, and this was made up by the loss of cable operators, whose subscriber base went from 91 million homes to 83 million in FY19, whereas, the DTH operators grew their subscriber base from 62 million to 67 million in the same time period.

DTH Operators Being Helped by New Trai Tariff Regime

It is also worth noting that powered by the new tariff regime, the DTH operators also enjoyed an advantage on the revenue front as well. Although the active subscriber base shrunk overall, the ARPU went up in the third and fourth phases because of the Network Capacity Fee (NCF) of Rs 130 plus taxes. The ARPUs were much lower before the new tariff regime, so in the later period, the industry enjoyed better ARPU, which translated to a yearly growth of 8.1% despite loss in subscribers.

According to Girish Menon, Partner & Head, Media and Entertainment Practice, KPMG, remarked about the situation of DTH operators saying, “They have done better than cable. DTH has always been about packs, whereas cable subscribers for the first time are figuring out how to use packs.” He also highlighted that it is because of the consumer-centric business model of the DTH operators that they have a competitive advantage over other cable operators.

DTH Operators Bringing New Services With Core Offerings

He also highlighted that to construct a moat around their business which is lately being threatened by the coming of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and other technologies, and the DTH companies are innovating on their part. For example, Tata Sky has come up with its Binge service by partnering up with content providers like Hotstar, Sun NXT, and more. Other DTH platforms like DTH and D2h have also their Watcho app. The coming of Reliance JioFiber in the industry might also further increase problems for the DTH operators. The Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator is also offering a 4K TV and Set-Top Box with its offering as well, which is something that will hurt the DTH operators in the long run.

Menon of KPMG has also said that the DTH operators could be on the path of reinventing themselves and might be rolling out their own content in some time like Tata Sky is dong. There is also the consolidation in the industry to look forward to, with Dish TV merging with Airtel Digital TV in the coming months.

Hathway Broadband new customers can avail a 50 Mbps broadband plan without any FUP limit in Hyderabad city for Rs 399. Hathway’s all-new Lifelong Binge offer allows the residents in Hyderabad to pick a 50 Mbps broadband plan at Rs 399. Normally, in Hyderabad, Hathway is providing a 50 Mbps plan with unlimited data at Rs 499 per month, however, as part of this offer, the plan can be availed for Rs 349 per month. Notably, the Rs 349 charges are for each month and there will be additional taxes applicable on top of the monthly charges. Other plans of Hathway in Hyderabad include high-speed 125 Mbps plan, 100 Mbps plan, 75 Mbps plan, 80 Mbps plan and a 25 Mbps plan. For the 25 Mbps unlimited data plan, Hathway is charging Rs 449 per month (excluding taxes), so the Lifelong Binge offer allows customers to get the plan of 50 Mbps with unlimited data at kist Rs 399 per month.

Rs 399 ‘Lifelong Binge’ Broadband Offer by Hathway

Notably, Hathway is advertising this plan as being priced at half of what the other broadband providers are offering. It is also worth noting that Hathway offers five more plans in the Hyderabad region besides this newly introduced offer of Rs 399 which is also the cheapest plan in Hathway’s broadband portfolio. The 25 Mbps plan of Hathway starts at a monthly rental of Rs 449, and this one also comes with no FUP like Hathway’s other plans. The six months and 12 months subscription of this plan will cost the subscribers Rs 2394 and Rs 4500 respectively. Hathway offered similar offer last year as well, but after a while, the plan’s price will be changed to the original price of Rs 499. However, under this new offer, there’s no such rollback on the price and benefits.

Other Broadband Plans in Hyderabad by Hathway

Next up, we have the 75 Mbps speed plan by Hathway which also starts at Rs 349 under Value subscription tag and is available for Rs 399 and Rs 449 under the Gold and Blast subscription banner. The six monthly and annual price for this plan is Rs 2649 and Rs 4788.

Going further up in Hathway’s portfolio we have the Freedom plan which offers 100 Mbps speed to Hathway subscribers and this plan is available for Rs 499 under the value subscription and for Rs 549 and Rs 599 under Gold and Blast subscription. The six monthly and annual rentals for this plan are Rs 3294 and Rs 5988 respectively. Lastly, the highest speed available in Hathway’s portfolio is under the Thunder plan which offers service at 125 Mbps. The various rental ladders under this plan start at Rs 549, Rs 599 and Rs 649. The six monthly and annual rentals for this plan are Rs 3594 and Rs 6588.

Overall, there are plenty of very attractively priced offerings for Hathway broadband subscribers in the Hyderabad region. For someone who is a heavy user, the Hathway plans work well as they offer speeds up to 125 Mbps and they also come with no FUP limits. The introduction of this new Rs 349 plan which offers 50 Mbps is a good call for subscribers who would like to browse the internet and go on only with their daily internet related work without spending a lot on their connection.

Do make a note that the 50 Mbps broadband plan offer from Hathway is currently available only in Hyderabad and it’s a limited period offer from the company.

JioFiber Entry May Not Disrupt the Industry

Reliance Jio announced the JioFiber broadband plans a few days ago and the plans aren’t that impressive, to say the least. JioFiber broadband plans start at Rs 699 and go all the way up to Rs 8,499, delivering speeds of 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps respectively. However, the major disappointment with JioFiber plans is the FUP limit. If you look at Hathway, the company is providing an 100 Mbps long-term plan with 1TB FUP per month at an effective price of Rs 699. But JioFiber’s Rs 699 plan ships with just 150GB of data benefit even if you choose it for one year.

Siti Broadband has teamed up with OTT content platform ZEE5 today. As part of this partnership, Siti Broadband customers to get the premium content of ZEE5 as value-added service. Siti Broadband customers on 100 Mbps broadband plan will get one month of free ZEE5 premium subscription, whereas other broadband plan users will get the subscription at discounted rates. Right now, broadband players are aggressively partnering with OTT content providers to lure subscribers. Notably, ZEE5 already partnered with ACT Fibernet and providing one month of premium subscription to ACT broadband users for free. ZEE5 also has a content partnership with Bharti Airtel to provide premium subscription every month to Airtel Thanks Platinum Tier and above users.

Siti Broadband and ZEE5 Partnership Detailed

Siti Broadband customers those who are using 100 Mbps tariff plan will enjoy complimentary ZEE5 one-month premium subscription pack as a value-added service. In addition, existing Siti Broadband customers those who are in other tariff plans will receive discounted rates on the purchase of any premium subscription pack of ZEE5. Right now, we don’t have the details of the discounted rates, though.

ACT Fibernet is also providing one month of free ZEE5 subscription to its broadband customers, whereas Airtel Broadband users on Rs 1,099 and above plan will receive a premium subscription of ZEE5 every month. For the unaware, ZEE5’s All Access Pack for one month costs Rs 99, so Siti Broadband customers are getting it for free.

Anil Malhotra, CEO, SITI said “The alliance plays to both partner’s individual strength in which consumer gets the maximum advantage. It will give both of us an opportunity to scale up our business ambitions, creating value for all our stakeholders with a focussed and strategic approach. It also gives ZEE5 access to SITI Broadband households.”

For the unaware, Siti Broadband has operations across Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Broadband Operators Betting Big on Providing OTT Subscriptions

With the entry of JioFiber, every broadband player is now looking to establish partnerships with OTT players. Already, Internet Service Providers like BSNL, Airtel, ACT Fibernet partnered with OTT players like Netflix, Amazon, ZEE5 and so on to offer discounts on monthly subscriptions. That said, JioFiber also mentioned OTT subscriptions would be provided to the broadband customers on premium plans, but the details are awaited.

For now, Airtel has the best OTT service offerings with its broadband plans. As part of the Airtel Thanks membership programme, broadband users of Airtel on plans priced above Rs 1,099 will receive three months of Netflix subscription, one-year of Amazon Prime membership, premium ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 99 every month and Airtel Xstream app subscription worth Rs 1,200 for free. ACT Fibernet is providing a discount of up to Rs 500 on Netflix monthly plans and has various partnerships with ZEE5, Hungama Play, Yupp TV and more.

JioFiber broadband plans aren’t that impressive because of the FUP limit, however, the company may announce new OTT partnerships taking on the rival broadband operators. Siti Broadband’s partnership with ZEE5 shows even local operators are looking to up their game.

Reliance JioFiber connections ship with a free 4K supported Set-Top Box and it comes with a slew of features which makes it a differentiator compared to the other Set-Top Boxes from DTH operators. The Jio Set-Top Box has 4K support and it brings both Cable TV and OTT services into one place. Essentially, it’s identical to the Airtel Xstream Box that also has 4K support and available for purchase at Rs 3,999. However, Jio’ Set-Top Box ships for free with all the broadband plans on a returnable basis. At the launch event of JioFiber, the company said the Jio Set-Top Box comes pre-installed with a lot of apps like JioCinema, JioSaavn and OTT apps. Besides this, the Jio 4K Set-Top Box offers a lot more features which makes it stand out from the crowd. Read on to know more in detail about the features offered by Jio 4K Set-Top Box.

Jio 4K Set-Top Box Brings Cable TV and OTT Content Together

Similar to Airtel Xstream Box which brings Satellite TV and OTT apps together, Jio’s 4K Set-Top Box brings Cable TV and OTT content together. That said, the Jio STB also said to come with TV Plus app pre-installed allowing users to watch Live TV channels on the web through JioFiber broadband connection. As you might be aware of by now, Jio is inviting all the Local Cable Operators across various regions to join hands with it, so that customers can use Cable TV service through Jio STB. Right now, Hathway, Den Networks and a few more LCOs teamed up with Jio for providing Cable TV service through the 4K Set-Top Box from Jio.

We’re also hearing consumers stating about the absence of Cable TV service in their location even after taking a JioFiber connection which is troublesome. Hopefully, Jio works on a solution on how it can provide Cable TV service bundled with JioFiber plan itself.

TV Plus, JioCinema, JioSaavn and More Apps Pre-Installed Inside Jio STB

Being a Smart Set-Top Box, Reliance Jio has managed to pre-install its apps like TV Plus (not sure what the service exactly is), JioSaavn, JioCinema and other OTT apps. JioSaavn and JioCinema offer audio songs and access to latest trailers, movies and more. It’s also expected that Jio will announce its content partnerships with provides like Hotstar, ZEE5, SunNXT, among others. These apps will be pre-installed inside the Jio Set-Top Box so they can just log in and watch the content for free. All the Jio broadband plans ship with three months of free JioSaavn and JioCinema subscriptions.

Jio 4K Set-Top Box Remote Has Voice Control Support

Moving onto Reliance Jio Set-Top Box’s remote controls, it’s also a smart one with voice control support. Yes, the remote does not look like the Mi TV or upcoming OnePlus TV remote, instead, it’s a traditional remote with voice assistant support. Also, there’s a huge Live TV button which may allow users to quickly launch the Cable TV service or the Live TV app to watch the content. That said, the remote doesn’t have any dedicated button to activate apps like JioCinema or JioSaavn.

Jio STB Also Has Pause and Rewind Features

Lastly, the Jio Set-Top Box also comes with a unique service which allows users to Pause, Rewind & Play the TV shows they’re watching currently. Maybe this feature will work only inside the TV Plus app as it streams the content from the web.

Reliance JioFiber has introduced many plans for the interested customers who want to get a high-speed fibre connection. It was last year when Reliance Jio announced its plans of introducing the fibre-based broadband service. However, in this year, all the other broadband service providers have also upped their bar and introduced high speed fibre broadband services. Also, previously these companies were providing these plans for a lot more rental, but to gain a competitive advantage in the market against the Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator, these companies are now shipping the high-speed plans with reasonable pricing. Here are some other broadband service providers that can act as substitute for Reliance JioFiber.

Airtel Broadband Plans

Airtel broadband has two plans in its roster which can interest the customers who want to experience speeds beyond 100 Mbps. The first plan is the Airtel Premium broadband plan of Rs 1,599. This plan offers 300 Mbps speed and 600GB monthly data and 1000GB additional data valid for six moths. The additional benefits in this plan include Netflix for three months, Amazon Prime subscription for a year, ZEE5 subscription and access to Airtel Xstream app. There is also the Rs 1,999 VIP broadband plans by Airtel which offers 100 Mbps speed and unlimited data. This is one plan which offers unlimited data and high speed which can actually be a reasonable deal for the subscribers. The additional benefits in this plan remain the same. Airtel is also now shipping 1 Gbps plan called the Airtel Xstream Fiber which is also offering 3.3TB data per month for Rs 3,999, another plan which competes with JioFiber.

ACT Fibernet Plans

ACT Fibernet is one service provider which is actually offering many speed options to the customers. The first plan is the ACT Storm plan offering 100 Mbps speed and 400GB monthly data and this plan comes for Rs 1,159. ACT is also shipping 1500GB data for the subscription period which becomes the major plus point with ACT plans.

Tata Sky Broadband Plans

Tata Sky is also offering plans which offer speeds of up to 100 Mbps or more. For example in Bengaluru, The Rs 1,249 plan, the subscribers will enjoy 300GB data at 100 Mbps speed. The Rs 1,599 plan by Tata Sky broadband offers 750GB at 100 Mbps speed as well. The 100 Mbps unlimited data plan by Tata Sky in the same region is available for Rs 2,400. For six months subscription, the subscribers can enjoy an extra month of service and for 12 months subscription they can enjoy additional three months of free service.

You Broadband Plans

The Vodafone subsidiary, You Broadband is also shipping some attractive plans to its subscribers. There are many options for You broadband subscribers for a month, two months, three months and more. The monthly subscription option include Rs 1,784 plan which ships 1000GB data at 100 Mbps speed. There are also plans with 150 Mbps speed and 200 Mbps speed.

Spectra Broadband Plans

Spectra is another service provider which is offering its services in select cities and it is offering gigabyte plans at a very affordable rate. For example, the 250 Mbps plan with an effective monthly price of Rs 799 offers 750GB per month data and data carry forward facility. On annual subscription of this plan which sets back the subscribers by Rs 14,146, they will be able to enjoy unlimited data at 250 Mbps speed, and three months of extra service as well.

Hathway has been very active in the broadband segment competing with the likes of ACT Fibernet and Airtel Broadband. At the end of 2018, Hathway Broadband launched a high-speed 300 Mbps broadband plan in Chennai city and the company promised to launch the same high-speed plan in other cities as well. Hathway Broadband is now providing services in more than 20 cities offering speeds up to 200 Mbps. As part of its high-speed offerings, Hathway Broadband is now shipping a 100 Mbps broadband plan in Kolkata at an effective price of Rs 699, probably the lowest in the industry, matching the offerings from Asianet in Kerala. That said, the FUP limit of this broadband plan from Hathway is 1TB unlike the JioFiber broadband plans which ship with very low FUP.

Hathway Slashes Broadband Plan Prices in Several Cities

Hathway Broadband is a known name in the wired-broadband industry as it provides attractive offers to the customers. In a new move, the company has reduced the prices of its high-speed plans like 100 Mbps, 150 Mbps, 200 Mbps and so on by a decent margin. In Kolkata, the 100 Mbps broadband plan from Hathway costs just Rs 699 per month and it comes with 1000GB or 1TB FUP limit per month. However, the only catch is that subscribers will have to choose the 100 Mbps plan for three months and it costs them Rs 2,097. Also, the plan comes with Hathway Playbox and provides after FUP speeds of 3 Mbps. The same 100 Mbps plan is also available for six and 12 months subscription at Rs 4,194 and Rs 8,388 respectively. That said, taxes and installation charges will be added on top of the charges mentioned above.

Likewise, there are other broadband plans like 150 Mbps and 200 Mbps priced at Rs 4,497 and Rs 5,997 for three months, which turns to monthly charges of Rs 1,499 and Rs 1,999 respectively. These charges for 150 Mbps and 200 Mbps plans are reasonable, but the 100 Mbps plan is probably the best one you should get in Kolkata right now. And the best part is these broadband plans ship with Hathway Playbox as well.

ACT Fibernet vs Hathway Broadband: Which ISP Has the Best 100 Mbps Plan?

Right now, ACT Fibernet is yet to launch operations in Kolkata city, but we can consider other city plans for the comparison. In Hyderabad, ACT Fibernet is providing a 100 Mbps broadband plan with 750GB of FUP limit at Rs 1,050 per month. In the same Hyderabad city, Hathway Broadband is offering a 100 Mbps broadband plan at Rs 599 per month. If a customer chooses the plan for three months, they’ll be eligible for Hathway Playbox Android TV box as well. ACT Fibernet also has its ACT Stream TV 4K Android TV box, but the customers will have to pay Rs 1,500 refundable charges to the company to avail the box.

Hathway Lifelong Binge Offer Detailed

In other news, Hathway also has another offer running in Hyderabad city which allows new and existing customers to get a 50 Mbps broadband plan without any FUP limit at an effective price of Rs 399 per month. Right now, Hathway’s Lifelong Binge offer is available only in Hyderabad. In Kolkata, the Internet Service Provider is already shipping the cheapest broadband plans when compared to the competition. Even in Chennai, Hathway’s 100 Mbps broadband plan with 1TB FUP limit is available at an effective monthly price of Rs 949.

Railwire, which recently revised its broadband plans in Kerala state has now revised its broadband plans in other regions as well. To counter JioFiber and its high-speed broadband plans, Railwire is now providing a 200 Mbps broadband plan in almost all the regions where it has operations. The 200 Mbps broadband plan from Railwire costs Rs 1,949 and it offers 1TB FUP limit. To recall, the same 200 Mbps broadband plan in Kerala ships with 2TB of monthly FUP limit. So the monthly FUP limit in other states is on the lower side, clearly. However, Railwire has an affordable broadband plan with speeds of 150 Mbps and it costs Rs 1,391 per month. Railwire’s 150 Mbps broadband plan also comes with 750GB of FUP limit per month. But the after FUP speeds are on the lower side at 512 Kbps.

Railwire 150 Mbps Broadband Plan Now Costs Just Rs 1,391 per Month

Right after the launch of JioFiber on September 5, Railwire has revised its broadband plans in Kerala state and it’s now providing a FUP limit of 1TB even with the base Rs 499 plan. However, it’s not the case in other regions where Railwire has operations. In other regions like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and so on, Railwire has started providing a 150 Mbps broadband plan with a monthly FUP limit of 750GB at Rs 1,391. Railwire also has other broadband plans of 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 40 Mbps, 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps in almost all the regions.

The 100 Mbps broadband plan in the said regions cost Rs 1,041 per month and it offers a FUP of 600GB. It’s still better than JioFiber’s Rs 849 broadband plan which offers 400GB of data benefit every month. Notably, Railwire’s 200 Mbps broadband plan comes at a price of Rs 1,949 per month and it has a FUP limit of 1TB or 1000GB. Sadly, all the Railwire broadband plans offer after FUP speeds of 512 Kbps or 1 Mbps.

Railwire Unlimited Broadband Plans Detailed

While Railwire has managed to revise the monthly broadband plans, the company decided not to change the Unlimited Broadband plans available in its portfolio. Railwire is offering two Unlimited Broadband plans in all the regions and they’re priced at Rs 699 and Rs 1,199. The Rs 699 broadband plan of Railwire offers 2 Mbps speeds, whereas the Rs 1,199 plan comes with 4 Mbps speeds. That said, the data limit is unlimited on these plans, however, the speeds are on the lower side.

Railwire vs JioFiber: Which Broadband Operator is Better?

To recall, JioFiber’s commercial broadband plans did not inspire confidence because of the FUP limit. JioFiber 100 Mbps broadband plan of Rs 699 offers just 150GB of data benefit for one month, whereas the Rs 849 plan comes with 400GB of data benefit. That said, there’s additional data offer available as part of the launch offer and the extra data is valid for six months from the date of choosing the connection.

At Rs 899, Railwire has a 50 Mbps broadband plan which comes with 400GB of FUP limit, so clearly Jio is ahead of Railwire in terms of pricing, but the 100 Mbps plan of Railwire offers 600GB FUP limit which is reasonable.

Vodafone-owned You Broadband has started providing fixed-line voice calling service to the customers in select cities. You Broadband has made this move to counter Reliance JioFiber whose broadband plans start at Rs 699 and they also come with landline voice calling service. You Broadband has its presence across 18 cities in the country, but the Internet Service Provider (ISP) has launched fixed-line voice services in only eight cities at the moment. The cities in question are Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Powai, Pune, Surat, Thane and Vadodara. Also, the company has launched separate plans for fixed-line voice and broadband services in the said cities. That said, we don’t have the details of the combo plans launched by You Broadband for now, but we’re expecting the company to reveal them in the next few days.

You Broadband Fixed-Line Voice Calling Services Launched Officially

According to You Broadband, fixed-line voice service will be provided by Vodafone, whereas the broadband service will be provided by You itself. Also, the voice combo plans will be available only in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Powai, Pune, Surat, Thane and Vadodara cities. In several cities, You Broadband is providing various types of plans including Dual Speed (FUP) plans, Unlimited Plans and Data Plans to the customers. The company is expected to offer voice combo plans in two versions- Voice Combo Dual Speed Voice (FUP) plans and Voice Combo Unlimited Plans.

It will be interesting to see how the Vodafone-owned broadband operator prices these voice combo plans in the industry. If you look at the combo offerings, there’s no one in the industry right now who can even beat the not-so-impressive JioFiber plans. Also, JioFiber plans do ship with a free 4K Set-Top Box for free. Airtel is also bundling fixed-line voice calling services with its broadband plans, but the telco is not providing any Set-Top Box to the customers

JioFiber Effect Already Showing in the Industry

At the start of September, Reliance Jio announced the JioFiber broadband plans starting at Rs 699. The broadband plans from Jio did not inspire many as the company is having a FUP limit, but on the brighter side, the company is providing landline calling and free Set-Top Box to the customers. Besides JioFiber, Bharti Airtel and BSNL are the two broadband operators in the country who are currently offering bundled voice and data plans to the customers.

That said, other ISPs are already stepping up the game. You Broadband is now joining the list by providing fixed-line voice calling service. On the other hand, BSNL is said to partnering with local Cable TV operators to provide Triple Play services to the customers. It will be interesting to see how other ISPs line ACT Fibernet, Excitel react to this threat from JioFiber.

ACT Fibernet today announced the launch of two new Gaming Packs for customers across all the regions where it has operations. The Indian gaming market is currently growing at a rapid pace and ACT Fibernet wants to take advantage of the same. According to ACT Fibernet, these Gaming Packs comes with several new benefits which will delight gaming enthusiasts. The Gaming Packs are said to offer superior gaming experience through fast internet speed and optimised routing to offer low pings. ACT Fibernet has announced the Gaming Packs in two subscriptions- one month and for six months, and the benefits differ with each pack.

ACT Fibernet Gaming Packs: What Do They Offer?

The Gaming Packs from ACT Fibernet is a subscription service for gamers that will be made available in two variants- A-Game Basic with one-month subscription and A-Game Ultra for six months. These Gaming Packs also come with many first-to-India features. The ACT Fibernet Gaming Packs offer benefits like Speed on Demand, Data Boost, Partner Benefits and in-game benefits (ACT Fibernet to announce partnerships with game makers).

Firstly, ACT Fibernet says the Gaming Packs will come offer Speed on Demand functionality which is a feature announced for the first time in India. Speed on Demand allows the Gaming Pack users to improve their plan speed on demand through the SpeedBoost feature. Also, the broadband operator says a user can boost the speeds up to 300 Mbps by activating the SpeedBoost feature via ACT Fibernet app or website.

Next on the list, the Gaming Pack offers Data Boost functionality. ACT Fibernet allows users to get additional data of 200GB data per month on A-Game Basic pack and 1800GB on A-Game Ultra pack.

Furthermore, ACT Fibernet is bringing attractive offers across gaming ecosystem via gaming partners- Zotac Gaming for Gaming GPUs, Western Digital for gaming Storage devices, Games the shop for discounts on FIFA 20, Marvels Avengers, CyberPunk 2077 etc., Western Digital among others.

Talking about the prices, the Gaming Pack will be available starting September 18, 2019, across all the cities where ACT Fibernet has its operations. The ACT Fibernet A-Game Basic will be available to users at Rs 500 (excluding GST) and A-Game Ultra comes for Rs 2,000 (excluding GST).

ACT Fibernet Announces Partnership With World of Warship

Furthermore, ACT Fibernet has announced its partnership with Wargaming to launch the World of Warship title for the first time in India. As part of this partnership, Wargaming will bring exclusive in-game rewards, skills and level-ups to ACT Gaming Pack users. Other gaming pack benefits within the World of Warships game includes exclusive ACT Fibernet branded containers, flags, patches and customizations, in-game credits, doubloons and other discounts.

Speaking on the partnership, Ravi Karthik, Head of Marketing, Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd said, “ACT Fibernet is known to provide the best gaming experience with high speeds, low latency and negligible packet losses. With the gaming industry in India now beginning to grow, we believe our proposition of a gaming pack puts together in one place what the customer wants – speeds, data, low pings, in-game benefits and offers will meet the needs of gamers and enable a delightful gaming experience”.

As mentioned above, ACT’s Gaming Packs are already available for customers in all the cities where the company is offering services.

There was a time when finding broadband plans with unlimited data was a hard task for interested subscribers. If you were a heavy data consumer and you wanted a broadband plan for your internet needs, chances were that you’d have to get a data add-on pack from your internet service provider. However, that is no longer the case. The coming of Reliance JioFiber has upped the stakes in the broadband playing field, and now the competitors are flocking around providing high-speed plans, massive data offers and affordable monthly rentals. One of the ISPs which counts in this list is Nextra Broadband. It is worth noting that Nextra broadband is a relatively new player in the field with operations in seven cities currently. The company is providing broadband plans in Delhi/NCR, Meerut, Jaipur, Pune, Mumbai, Bijnor, and Srinagar Uttarakhand. Here are the broadband plans being provided by Nextra right now.

Nextra Broadband Plans Detailed

In Delhi, Nextra broadband has plans starting at 50 Mbps. The nomenclature of these plans is similar to Reliance JioFiber, and the first plan is the Bronze plan in the broadband roster. The Bronze plan by Nextra offers 50 Mbps speed, and it comes with unlimited data. The monthly rental for this plan is Rs 799.

The second plan in this list is the Silver plan which comes with 75 Mbps speed, and it comes with Rs 999 monthly rental, the Gold plan with 100 Mbps speed comes with Rs 1,199 monthly rental. Further, beyond 100 Mbps speed, the subscribers get the option of 150 Mbps speed on the Platinum plan, which comes with Rs 1,499 monthly rental. Lastly, there is the 200 Mbps Diamond plan which sets back the subscribers by Rs 1,999 per month.

Plans Starting at 10 Mbps for Rs 699

The plans being offered Nextra also differ by locations. For example, in Mumbai, the offerings start at 10 Mbps which is called the Smart 10 plan and is available for Rs 599 per month. There is also a Smart 25 plan which offers 25 Mbps speed and comes with a Rs 699 monthly rental. There on, subscribers in Mumbai also have the choice of Bronze, Silver and Gold plan. However, there are no plans which offer 100 Mbps or more speed. But, it’s also noteworthy that in Mumbai the subscribers get the benefit of a long term offer wherein Nextra will offer discounts on subscriptions of 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. This is something that the users in Delhi do not enjoy.

Competition for Nextra in Delhi and Other Regions

To recall, Spectra is also a broadband service provider offering very attractive high-speed plans. But, if you need very high-speed plans with up to 1 Gbps speed, then getting a Spectra connection might make sense in Delhi. Whereas, Nextra competes with other broadband service providers like BSNL, Hathway and Tata Sky which offers speeds up to 200 Mbps and mostly offer plans in this range. To recall, Bharti Airtel also has an unlimited data plan with 100 Mbps speed which is available for Rs 1,999 per month. Compared to this, Nextra broadband is offering a steal deal in its broadband plans.

Tata Sky is a very known name when it comes to DTH services. However, making full use of its last-mile connectivity which it has developed by servicing homes with DTH, the company launched its broadband services too. Now, Tata Sky Broadband has expanded its network to more than 20 cities. The service provider is offering high-speed connections and various unlimited data plans as well. Also, not to forget that Tata Sky broadband has its operations in some of the major cities of India. So here are some of the plans from Tata Sky broadband which might attract the consumers.

Tata Sky Broadband Plans Detailed

Starting with Mumbai, in the city, Tata Sky broadband offers both the choice of unlimited data plans and fixed GB plans. Under the unlimited section, Tata Sky is offering three plans in the city which start at 25 Mbps. This plan would be the right choice for someone who is looking to have sufficient speed to stream content and is also looking for a plan that would not go over-budget. As such, this plan is available for Rs 999 and offers 25 Mbps speed. Further on, Tata Sky is also offering a 50 Mbps plan as well for customers looking for slightly higher speed. These subscribers will enjoy the 50 Mbps with unlimited data at Rs 1,249. Lastly, there is the Rs 1,599 unlimited plan which offers 100 Mbps speed.

Tata Sky Broadband Plan Long Term Benefits

It is also worth noting that Tata Sky is offering a long term benefit to its subscribers as well. This means that subscribers who get a connection for six months or more will enjoy special benefits or discounts. The first example is in the case of unlimited plans only. The Rs 999 plan which offers 25 Mbps speed will be available for six months for Rs 5,395. This means that over a period of six months, the subscribers are getting a discount of Rs 699. Similarly, in the Rs 1,249 plan, the subscribers will save Rs 749 in the six months. Lastly, in the 100 Mbps plan, the subscribers will save Rs 959 in the period of six months, as they would only have to pay Rs 8635 for the six months of this connection.

In the case of yearly plans as well, Tata Sky broadband subscribers will be able to save some amount. For example, when the Rs 999 plan is bought for the entire year, the subscribers would only have to pay Rs 10,190, which translates to a saving of Rs 1,798. Subsequently, the subscribers of 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps plans would be able to save Rs 2,248 and Rs 2,878 respectively.

You Broadband is one of the popular wired Internet Service Providers in the country as it has operations across 20 cities. In several cities, You Broadband is providing up to 200 Mbps speeds taking on the competitors like ACT Fibernet, Airtel Xstream Fibre, Hathway and Reliance JioFiber. You is owned by UK-based telecom operator Vodafone even after its merger with Aditya Birla-owned telco Idea. Reliance JioFiber is providing 100 Mbps speeds even with its base broadband plan, but on the other hand, You Broadband’s plans even come with 25 Mbps download speeds to the customers. In Hyderabad, You Broadband is providing a 100 Mbps broadband plan for as low as Rs 944 (including taxes), but in some cities, the same 100 Mbps broadband plan retails at a different rate. Read on to know about the 100 Mbps broadband plan offered in different cities.

You Broadband 100 Mbps and Higher Speed Broadband Plans with FUP Data

The unique thing about You Broadband plans is that it offers multiple subscription validity options to the subscribers. The first plan in the You broadband portfolio is the 100 Mbps plan. In the Bangalore region, the 30 days validity plan with 1000GB data comes for Rs 1,784 per month. The after FUP speed on this plan is 4 Mbps.

Further on, there is also a 150 Mbps plan in the You Broadband portfolio. This 150 Mbps plan is available with 4 subscription validity options, which includes 30 days, 90 days, 180 days and 360 days. The one-month subscription option of the 150 Mbps plan offers 600GB data per month for Rs 1,770. The after FUP speed on these plans is 5 Mbps.

You Broadband offers 200 Mbps plans with 30 days validity and 200GB data FUP for Rs 1,180 and an after FUP speed of 5 Mbps. Further, there is also an option of 700GB per month option available for Rs 1,947. There are also 90 days, 180 days and 360 days options available for You broadband subscribers under this plan.

You Broadband 100 Mbps and Above Speed Plans with Unlimited Data  

You Broadband also offers a lot of unlimited data plans for its subscribers as well. It is worth noting that the availability of some plans will differ from circle to circle. Hence subscribers should keep in mind where the plans are available. For example, in the Hyderabad region, the service provider offers a single 100 Mbps unlimited data plan, and it is available in four subscription options including 30 days, 90 days, 180 days and 360 days. The 100 Mbps unlimited data plan for 30 days will set back the subscribers by Rs 944, whereas, for 90 days, the subscribers will have to shell out Rs 2,744. The 180 days and 360 days options will cost Rs 5,133 and Rs 9,558 to the subscribers.

JioFiber Offering 100 Mbps Speeds Even With Base Rs 699 Plan

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has revealed its JioFiber broadband plans earlier this month and they start at Rs 699 (excluding taxes) per month. The highlight of JioFiber broadband plans is they ship with 100 Mbps speeds, but the disappointment is those plans come with FUP limit on a monthly basis. Broadband service providers like You Broadband, Hathway Broadband, are shipping unlimited data plans to the customers. In fact, Hathway has a 100 Mbps broadband plan with 1TB FUP limit at an effective price of 699 per month.

Reliance Jio launched its fibre-based broadband service in India finally after a long wait on September 5. However, according to many people who were awaiting the launch of JioFiber, the plans did not meet the expectations. This was mainly because of the lack of freebies and benefits which JioFiber is offering at the given price range. Now the entry-level plans of JioFiber start with Rs 699 per month, and they offer 100 Mbps and 100GB data along with minimum freebies. Most of the major benefits of JioFiber plans come with the higher-priced plans. So, if you are deciding whether or not to invest a little more for your monthly fibre-based broadband connections, then these are the exclusive benefits you should make a note of. If you decide to go for a higher-priced JioFiber plan, then these are the benefits you will get to enjoy.

Gigabyte Speeds

The first and the obvious difference between the entry-level broadband plans by Reliance Jio is the gigabyte speed which the higher end plans come with. While for most subscribers, the gigabyte speeds might not be that much useful, for someone who is looking to equip their home with IoT devices, the gigabyte connection is definitely considerable. The gigabyte connection will allow the subscribers to hook all their devices at their home to the Wi-Fi network simultaneously. The gigabyte connection will also be fit for the subscribers who want to play online games and want to stream them simultaneously.

First Day Movie Shows

Another feature that stands out from the rest that Reliance Jio is offering as part of its JioFiber higher-end plans is the First-day First-Show Movies. As part of this, the subscribers will be able to catch the newly released movies on the first day itself right from the comfort of their homes. However, just like the other features listed here, the first-day movie shows will be something that would be accessible to the higher-end plan users. These plans would include the Diamond, Platinum and Titanium plans that are available for Rs 2,499, Rs 3,999 and Rs 8,499, per month respectively.

VR Headsets

There is no doubt that Reliance Jio has set its vision towards the future, and that became apparent when it talked about bringing a virtual reality headset as part of its JioFiber offering. Now, the catch with this is that the VR headset would not be available for all the plans of JioFiber. The VR headset and the Jio Holoboard would again be available for the subscribers of Diamond, Platinum and Titanium plans only.

Now that you have noted the services that you will avail, if you were to pay a little more for the higher end plans of Reliance Jio, you can make an informed choice about whether or not these will make a difference for you.

BSNL is the leading wired broadband operator in the country with over 10 million subscribers under its belt. However, with the launch of JioFiber, the company may probably lose its market share slowly as the Mukesh Ambani-owned company is aiming for 15 million subscribers in the next one year. BSNL is providing some unique benefits with its broadband plans. For example, BSNL has some broadband plans with a daily data limit, similar to the daily data prepaid plans. Even BSNL’s high-speed Bharat Fibre plans ship with daily data, something which any other ISP is not providing in the industry right now. Other unique benefits from BSNL include Amazon Prime membership with over Rs 399 annual broadband plans and up to 25% discount on annual plans as well.

Amazon Prime Offering and Cashback

For a long time, BSNL remained far away from content-based offering on its broadband plans. While other service providers like Bharti Airtel were providing an Amazon Prime Video connection via Amazon Prime membership, BSNL was not offering it. But, lately, BSNL has started offering Amazon Prime membership to its customers. As per the details issued by BSNL, the subscribers who are on a broadband plan priced at Rs 900 or more will enjoy Amazon Prime membership for an entire year, and along with this, they are also going to be eligible for a 25% cashback. Also, BSNL broadband plans below Rs 499 will come with 15% cashback, and the plans between Rs 499 and Rs 900 will ship with 20% cashback. The company has recently announced that even the Rs 399 annual broadband plan will now come with free Amazon Prime membership for one year.

Complimentary Hotstar Premium Subscription

If not Amazon Prime subscription, there plans with BSNL which ship with a Hotstar subscription instead of Amazon Prime. Just like Amazon Prime Video, a Hotstar subscription will allow the subscribers to watch various movies and TV shows on their smartphone or other devices. BSNL has detailed that it will be offering a complimentary Hotstar subscription with its Superstar 300 plan which comes for Rs 749. Just like the name suggests, this plan will come with 300GB data per month.

Daily Data Broadband Plans 

This is something that sets BSNL broadband plans truly apart from the other broadband plans out there. Although it is also a point which has seen certain critical comments from the users, still, BSNL remains one of the rare service providers who are offering daily data limit on their broadband plans. As such, you will easily find plans in BSNL broadband portfolio which come with 40GB per day, 55GB per day, 80GB per day and more daily data limit.

Long Term Discount

On its broadband plan offers, BSNL is also offering a long term discount. For example, if you were to subscribe to the 600GB CUL plan, then you will have to pay a monthly rental of Rs 849, but for a subscription of 12 months, you won’t be required to pay 12x of the price, instead you would only have to pay 10x of the price, i.e. Rs 8490 only. This way, on a long term annual subscription, the subscribers will be able to get two months of free service. Similarly, on paying for 19 months of service, the BSNL broadband customers will get 5 months of free service.

BSNL Triple Play Plan

In other news, the government-owned PSU is also said to be collaborating with local Cable TV operators to provide Triple Play services to the customers. For the unaware, under Triple Play plan, customers will get Cable TV, broadband and landline services to the customers. The company is said to be charging Rs 700 for the entry-level Triple Play plan.

ACT Fibernet or Atria Convergence Technologies has revised its broadband plans in Bengaluru city. Among all the cities where ACT Fibernet has operations, Bengaluru plans aren’t that impressive compared to other cities. However, the company has changed it now because the FUP limit on all the plans in Bengaluru city has been increased now. ACT Fibernet’s premium broadband plan in Bengaluru is the Rs 5,999 one and it ships with 1 Gbps speeds. Now, the plan offers 3.5TB of FUP limit, which is an increase from the earlier 2.5TB limit. ACT Fibernet has a total of ten plans in the city and eight of them ship with additional 1500GB of data valid for a period of six months. The new plans are already effective in the city and the customers will be automatically moved to the new plans. Besides the FUP limit, the broadband operator also upped the speeds of all plans by at least 25 Mbps.

ACT Fibernet Broadband Plans Under Rs 1,000 in Bengaluru

As mentioned above, ACT Fibernet has a total of ten broadband plans in Bengaluru and they start at Rs 685. The first plan in the list is ACT Swift which used to offer 15 Mbps speeds and 100GB FUP limit; After the revision, the same plan offers 40 Mbps speeds and 200GB FUP for one month. Sadly, this plan does not come with any additional data like other ACT Fibernet plans in Bengaluru and the cost of this plan is Rs 685 (excluding taxes).

Under Rs 1,000, ACT Fibernet has another plan called ACT Rapid Plus priced at Rs 959. The plan now comes with 75 Mbps speeds and 350GB of FUP limit every month, and this plan is also part of the company’s 1500GB additional data offer. After FUP speeds of both the ACT Swift and ACT Rapid Plus is 512 Kbps.

ACT Fibernet Broadband Plans Under Rs 2,000 in Bengaluru

Between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000, the Internet Service Provider has four plans- ACT Blaze, ACT Storm, ACT Lightning and ACT Incredible, priced at Rs 1,059, Rs 1,159, Rs 1,399 and Rs 1,999, respectively. The ACT Blaze plan now offers 100 Mbps speeds, up from the earlier 75 Mbps speeds and it now has a monthly FUP limit of 450GB. The ACT Storm plan offers 150 Mbps speeds with 650GB, followed by the ACT Lightning plan with 200 Mbps speeds and 800GB FUP limit per month. Lastly, the ACT Incredible plan has 250 Mbps speeds and 1TB FUP limit. All these four plans also come with 1500GB extra data for new users which will be valid for six months.

ACT Fibernet Broadband Plans Above Rs 2,000 in Bengaluru

Above Rs 2,000, ACT has four plans- ACT Essential, ACT Advance, ACT Progress and ACT Giga. Besides the ACT Giga broadband plan, the rest three plans come with 250 Mbps speeds and a FUP limit of 1.5TB, 2TB and 3TB, respectively. Lastly, we have the ACT Giga plan priced at Rs 5,999 with a new FUP limit of 3.5TB.

On top of the revised plans, ACT Fibernet is also providing extra service for customers choosing the plans for a longer period. For example, if a customer chooses the ACT Giga plan in Bengaluru for 12 months, then the company will provide an additional six months of service for free. ACT Fibernet is running the extra service offer in several cities.

The broadband sector has been seeing unprecedented attention from the service providers and the consumers alike. This is majorly because of the new announcements and launches made by Reliance Jio. The Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator has introduced fibre-based broadband plans for the consumers in India finally after a long wait. While most of the plans come with speeds like 100 Mbps which are seen from a lot of service providers, there are select plans which offer up to 1 Gbps speeds as well. Now, there are very few broadband service providers which offer speeds up to 1 Gbps for their broadband connections. Here is a windup of the most popular three names in the sector which offer gigabyte speeds for their broadband customers.

Spectra Broadband Plans With 1 Gbps Speed

Spectra is one of the broadband service providers, which is offering attractive and economical 1 Gbps plans. The internet service provider was also the second operator in the space to start offering 1 Gbps speeds after ACT Fibernet. Not only is Spectra offering 1 Gbps speed, but it also offering an extra nine months of service to its subscribers if they pay Rs 21,934 for a yearly subscription. The customer getting a yearly broadband subscription from Spectra with 1 Gbps speed will have to pay an effective monthly cost of Rs 885. Currently, Spectra is providing services in Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.

JIoFiber Plans With 1 Gbps Speed

Reliance Jio’s JioFiber is the obvious inclusion in this list. The telco starts providing gigabyte speed plans at Rs 3,999, which is the Platinum plan from JioFiber. Under this plan, the subscribers will enjoy 1 Gbps speed and FUP data of up to 2500GB. There are also additional benefits like video calling, no-latency gaming, VR headset and access to first-day first show movies. There is also the Welcome Offer from Reliance Jio on this plan which will get the customers, the subscription to OTT apps. There is also the Rs 8,499 Titanium plan which offers 1 Gbps speed and up to 5000GB data per month. The additional benefits with this plan remain the same as with the above plans.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Plans With 1 Gbps Speed

Airtel has also expanded into the gigabyte segment by bringing the 1 Gbps speed offering for its broadband customers under this new banner. As part of Airtel Xstream Fiber, the subscribers will be able to access 3.3TB of data at 1 Gbps speed for Rs 3,999 per month. There will also be the Airtel Thanks benefit combined with this plan which includes free Amazon Prime membership for a year, Netflix for three months, and a premium subscription to Airtel Xstream TV.

GTPL Hathway, which is a Cable TV and Broadband operator, has its operations across more than 15 towns in Gujarat state. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) is offering up to 100 Mbps broadband plans in almost all the towns where it has operations. And the best part is all the broadband plans from GTPL are unlimited data plans, meaning there’s no FUP limit. The 100 Mbps broadband plan from the company comes at an effective price of Rs 649 per month, subjected if a customer chooses the plan for two years. GTPL also has its operations in some parts of Maharashtra as well. According to the information available, GTPL Hathway is currently providing a two-year 50 Mbps broadband plan for the subscribers at a one-time payment of Rs 10,500. This effectively brings down the price of the plan per month to around Rs 400.

GTPL Hathway Broadband Plans Detailed

In the majority of cities located in Gujarat, GTPL Hathway has broadband plans offering speeds up to 100 Mbps. In some cities, the plans from the company ship with only up to 50 Mbps speeds. In Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat and Rajkot, GTPL has a 100 Mbps broadband plan for one year and it costs Rs 9,190, which effectively becomes Rs 765 per month. Do make a note that these charges also include the 18% GST. The company also has a three-month 100 Mbps plan which costs Rs 4,500; If a customer opts for this plan, then GTPL will provide additional two months of service for free which overall becomes five months of service.

In the same cities, GTPL Hathway has wide-range of 50 Mbps broadband plans like for 24 months rental, 18 months rental, 12 months rental and so on. For 24 months, a 50 Mbps broadband plan from GTPL Hathway costs Rs 10,500 and the effective price comes down to Rs 437 per month, which is incredible. That said, both the 100 Mbps and 50 Mbps plans from GTPL ship with unlimited data benefits, means there’s no FUP limit like we get on JioFiber broadband plans.

Other 50 Mbps packages include 18 months plan for Rs 8,250, 14 months plan for Rs 6,998, 12 months plan for Rs 6,500 and six months plan for Rs 3,999. The company is also providing broadband plans with speeds of 40 Mbps, 30 Mbps, 20 Mbps and even 10 Mbps.

Alternatively, GTPL also has a Volume-based plan of Rs 2,299 that offers 100 Mbps speeds with a monthly FUP of 450GB. And the plan comes with three months validity.

GPTL Hathway Plans to Launch Hybrid Set-Top Box

In other news, GTPL Hathway is said to be working on a new hybrid Set-Top Box that runs Android TV platform. The hybrid Set-Top Box launch was already teased by the company officially and it will come pre-installed with apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime and other popular OTT apps. The price of this Set-Top Box from GTPL Hathway could be Rs 3,499 and it will be available across all the areas where the company has operations right now. It will be interesting to see whether the company plans to launch landline voice calling services or not.

The broadband sector is seeing a massive change as the Mukesh Ambani led telecom operator, Reliance Jio has made its entry into the broadband segment with the launch of JioFiber FTTH services. To prepare for the competition which is sprawling in the industry, all the other service providers are rolling out offers which are aimed at luring the new customers and retention of the existing customers. These service providers include BSNL broadband. ACT Fibernet and Hathway Broadband. For a quick look, here are all the offers currently available for the subscribers, which might attract your attention.

Amazon Prime Membership With BSNL Broadband Plans

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the largest broadband service provider in the country, and as such, it wants to retain the customers who are already on its network. The telecom operator has been rolling out offers after offers to lure new subscribers and among one of these offers is the Amazon Prime benefit. In August, BSNL announced that subscribers of yearly broadband plans with a monthly rental of Rs 399 or more would enjoy Amazon Prime benefit for the entire year. It is worth noting that the Amazon Prime membership is worth Rs 999 annually. Also, BSNL is offering a yearly cashback offer under which the subscribers will be able to get 25% cashback on their total amount.

Hathway Broadband Unlimited Data Plan With 50 Mbps Speed for Rs 349 Per Month

Hathway has also announced a Lifelong Binge offer under which the service provider is shipping unlimited data plan with 50 Mbps. This plan ships unlimited data for the entire subscription period and the subscribers can avail this plan for Rs 399 per month. In the Hyderabad circle, the subscribers will only have to pay Rs 349 per month.

ACT Fibernet Increases FUP Limit to 1TB

Among all the competition going on the industry, one of the top service providers has pulled a major move by increasing the FUP limit on all of its broadband plans. In Bengaluru, ACT Fibernet has upped the FUP limit of all broadband plans by 1TB. In the city, ACT Fibernet offers a total of ten plans. As part of this increased FUP limit, ACT Fibernet has also increased the speeds of its plans by 2x.

BSNL Brings Back Rs 777 Broadband Plan

There is another offer from BSNL broadband which deserves a little mention. As part of this offer, the state-led telco has brought back the Rs 777 broadband plan which provides 500GB data per month with 50 Mbps speed. The after-FUP speed in this plan is 2 Mbps. However, the catch is that this plan will be available only for six months, which means that the subscribers would have to shift to the Rs 849 or the 600GB CUL with 50 Mbps speed after six months.