Connecting to the grid

There's been a telecom revolution here while I have been away. We have all read about it and I am now experiencing it. Telecom penetration has shot up to 5.5% from less than half a percent when I left India. I exprienced wireless local loop (WLL) technology for the first time here. WLL offers limited mobility within a city area and is a viable alternative to a landline or a mobile phone. It looks and works like a landline but it is not tethered to a socket in your wall. So if you move homes, you can simply carry the phone with you. Most carriers also offer internet access through the WLL connection, although it's usually narrowband.

I was having a lot of difficulty getting a post paid mobile phone since I don't have a history here anymore. In order to get a post paid mobile phone, one needs a PAN number (Tax Id#), income tax returns, proof of residential address (the phone company will actually send someone to your house to confirm your address) and a local bank account. Clearly, I didn't qualify in 3 out of 4 requirements. So I had to go back to my mom and request her for her details to get a phone on her account. I think she was secretly proud that I still needed her after all these years of adulthood. Then I realized, she qualified for only 2 out of 4 requirements. Well, at least that's what the reliance mobile folks told me. I went to the airtel store and it was the same story. They refused to offer credit without complete documentation saying that someone from 'headoffice' needs to approve exceptional cases. I finally went to the one carrier I hadn't considered till then-Tata Indicom. I went to their office and was chatting with the sales person when I noticed a collage of birthday wishes and signatures on a white board. I spotted a signature that looked awfully familiar and I realized it could only belong to a high school friend who I hand't seen in a while. It turned out my high school friend Mimi ran customer care there. The rest was easy. She approved enough credit for me to make international calls, although I did pay some security deposit since I have zero credit history in the country. She also hooked me up with a wireless internet access card that gives me internet access anywhere in the country where Tata Indicom offers mobile connectivity. My brother has a wireless card from Reliance and I have to say that mine is much faster than his. Makes sense since Jamshepur is a Tata town.

Comments

[james]

I akm moving to Mumbai soon. For my own reasons I would prefer a landline. Can anyone adivse what is involved in getting a landline connection up and running these days?

[Vikram]

James,

I suggest MTNL, the govt owned TELCO. It comes with the best internet broadband service here in Mumbai. You need proof of residence which could be your property papers, rental agreement, electricity bill (in your name) or a mobile phone line in your name with the same address. MTNL has various agents who will handle your application and pay them. You can call Randhir at +912220591095 or Champak at +912220500050. These are two agents I have used and they are both decent. You don't have to pay them as MTNL pays them to by pass its own bureacracy!