Top Mobile Network Operators & Internet Providers In India





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Access to telecommunications infrastructure and networks is a crucial driver of the socio-economic growth of countries within the Information Society. The exponential spread of the Internet and cell phones as a means of politics, trade, education, social networking, and connectivity has rendered the advancement of telecommunications technology and policies a high priority for governments around the world.
India's telecommunications sector has grown at a phenomenal rate of 45 percent over the last few years, and, according to the Indian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRAI), it has been the world's third-largest network with 65 percent tele-density, 785 million telephone connections (750 million mobile and 35 million fixed landline connections) and 10 million broadband subscriptions. The proliferation of cell phones has exceeded fixed-line networks, making mobile the main medium of connectivity in the country.
We will focus on the four largest mobile operators in India; Airtel, JIO, BSNL and Vodafone. But, before we delve into the merits and demerits, let's first understand what a mobile operator is.
The Mobile Network Operator (MNO) is a telephone service provider company that offers cellular voice and data connectivity to its subscribed mobile users.
Mobile network operators are autonomous telephone service providers who own a full telecommunications system for hosting and handling mobile communications between subscribed mobile users in the same and external wireless and wired telecommunications networks.
The role of these operators is to build a network of high-end telecommunications equipment, proprietary applications and client-end subscriber identity modules to enable end-to-end connectivity between wired and wireless end-user devices.
The operators use a variety of base stations, while mobile users use a circuit-like chip in their cell phones to reach the stations while they are in the base station's range or coverage cell. In addition to providing voice dialing and receiving services, MNOs also offer data communications through text messages and Internet access and are now also delivering video communications.
While there are multiple network providers in India, four major players are currently ruling the telecommunications and internet market. Listed below is a brief summary of each network provider, along with their merits and demerits, which will help you identify the right mobile operator for you.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) was founded on 15 September 2000. It took over the business of offering telecommunications services and network administration from the former Central Government Departments of Telecom Services (DTS) and Telecom Operations (DTO), with effect from 1 October 2000 due to an ongoing concern basis.
It is one of the biggest and leading public sector entities offering a wide spectrum of telecommunications services in India. The firm is the fourth largest provider of telecommunications services in India
BSNL is the primary service provider to make targeted attempts and proposed projects to bridge the digital rural-urban gap in the ICT market. It is the largest telecommunications operator in India operated by the Government of India.
As of 2019, there are 21,56 million broadband subscribers, including both wireline and cellular connections.
Market share: 9.9 %
Plan | Calling | Data | SMS |
---|---|---|---|
Rs. 9 | Unlimited | 2 GB data for a day | 100 SMS |
Rs. 27 | Unlimited | 1 GB 2G/3G data for 7 days | 300 SMS for 7 days |
Rs. 29 | Unlimited | 2 GB data per day for 7 days | 100 |
Rs. 171 | Unlimited | 2 GB data per day for 30 days | 100 SMS per day for 30 days |
Rs. 444 | unlimited BSNL-BSNL voice call for 60 days | 6GB data per day for 60 days | - |
Merits
Demerits
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the Company ranks among the top three mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers.
In India, the company’s product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high-speed home broadband, DTH, enterprise services (including national & international long distance services to carriers). It is a Private telecom operator in India. Airtel has recently become India's first telco to showcase 5G over a live commercial network in Hyderabad.
Bharti Airtel had more than 403 million subscribers in all of its operations at the end of March 2019. The Company is seventh in the ranking of the top 10 telecommunications firms in India.
Market share: 27.5 %
Plan | Calling | Data | SMS | Added Benefit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rs. 19 | Unlimited | 200 MB | - | - |
Rs. 49 | Rs. 38.52 talktime for 28 days | 100 MB | - | - |
Rs. 149 | Unlimited | 2 GB data per day for 28 days | 300 SMS | Music downloads for free from Wynk, 370+ live TV channels and 10000+ movies on Airtel Xstream app |
Rs. 398 | Unlimited | 3 GB data per day for 28 days | 100 SMS per day for 28 days | Rs. 100 cashback on FASTag, free 4-week course on Shaw Academy and unlimited music from Wynk app |
Rs. 2698 | Unlimited | 2 GB data per day for 365 days | 100 SMS per day for 365 days | All of the above |
Merits
Demerits
Jio Infocomm Limited, also known as Jio, an Indian telecommunications networks corporation wholly owned by Reliance Industries and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, runs a nationwide LTE network covering all 22 telecommunications circles.
Jio does not provide 2G or 3G services and only uses voice over LTE to deliver voice services on its network. The company is second in the ranking of the top 10 telecommunications firms in India.
Jio released a beta for collaborators and staff on 27 December 2015 and became publicly available on 5 September 2016. It's a private telecommunications operator in India. It is second in the ranking of the largest telecommunications firms in India 2020
As of 31 May 2019, it is the largest mobile network provider in India and the third largest mobile network operator in the world with more than 322.99 million subscribers.
Market share: 30.8 %
Plan | Calling | Data | SMS |
---|---|---|---|
Rs. 299 | Unlimited Jio-to-Jio calls for 29 days | 3 GB per day | 100 SMS per day |
Rs. 399 | Unlimited calls for 84 days | 1.5 GB per day | 100 SMS per day |
Rs. 444 | Unlimited Jio-to-Jio calls and 1000 Jio-non Jio minutes | 168 GB | 100 SMS per day |
Rs. 498 | Unlimited Jio-to-Jio calls | 2 GB data per day for 91 days | 100 SMS per day for 91 days |
Rs. 1699 | Unlimited Jio-to-Jio calls | 1.5 GB data per day for 365 days | 100 SMS per day for 365 days |
Merits
Demerits
Vodafone Idea Limited is a collaboration of the Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group. It is India's largest supplier of telecommunications services.
The Company has the highest spectrum holding among all Indian telecommunications operators, containing 1,849.6 MHz spectrum across 22 circles, of which 1,714.8 MHz is a liberalized spectrum.
The Company offers voice and data connectivity through the 2G, 3G and 4G networks.
As of March 31, 2019, the company's subscription base was 368.3 Mn (on VLR), with a subscriber market share of 36.0 per cent, the highest in the industry. It is the No 1 top telecommunications firm in India 2020 based on market share.
Market share: 31.5 %
Plan | Calling | Data | SMS |
---|---|---|---|
Rs. 10 | Rs. 7.47 talktime | - | - |
Rs. 49 | Rs. 38 talktime | 100MB for 28 days | - |
Rs. 299 | Unlimited | 2GB data per day for 28 days | 100 SMS per day |
Rs. 599 | Unlimited | 1.5GB data per day for 84 days | 100 SMS per day for 84 days |
Rs. 2399 | Unlimited | 1.5GB data per day for 365 days | 100 SMS per day for 365 days |
Merits
Demerits
There’s no doubt that mobile phones and connectivity play a crucial role in our lives. Hence, it’s imperative to choose the right service provider that matches your requirements. Each of the mobile operators listed above has a unique benefit, hence, be sure to compare the plans properly before choosing the one for you.
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