Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 11, 2005 The Orange - BPL network merger is going to happen shortly. By Jan 1, 2006 , BPL and Orange will give way to a single operator name - HUTCH ! Will Mumbai get a new operator specially after the two different networks merge into one. It would be cool if IDEA enters Mumbai. What do you guys think ?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashoksoft 83 Report post Posted October 12, 2005 Yes mate that is true, infact at office where I work, it is already hutch (coz i am with them...), and well they do have some kewl plans in place for Mumbai too.... wait and watch as some of the kewlest gizmos get launched in february-march next year, with "Inter-Network Tri-Band real 3G WCDMA Handsets" on the lists.. Cheers Ashok Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Utsav 0 Report post Posted October 12, 2005 In Kolkata the most reliable network is Hutch. No call drops, no coverage probs, no disconnections. How is Orange in Mumbai? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 12, 2005 Orange is a very reputed brand in the Mumbai telecom scenario. Amongst the GSM operators, Orange is regarded as the best. Its tariffs are decent enough. The VAS rock and Orange has a huge subscriber base. The only thing ( i wd say a little bad ) is that to get to the customer care executives, u must be ready to listen to their brand music for quite a time on the phone. However, once you get through to them, its a breeze and you can be well assured that your complaints would definitely be solved. Quite a lot of humanity has had problems with Orange billing ( me too ), however, if r not kangal like me for most of the month and can afford a little expensive brand, Orange is THE service provider for you...... Good ppl !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashoksoft 83 Report post Posted October 13, 2005 wow! that is some review spookie.... love those couple of words .... "However, once you get through to them, its a breeze and you can be well assured that your complaints would definitely be solved.", though I am not with Orange as such, but I offer support to customers of 3 (Hutchison Wampoa) in UK and Aus. so..... These words do add a small amount of satisfaction to us.. Cheers Ashok Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chirag 5 Report post Posted October 14, 2005 Orange doesn't appeal to me as much!! As far as customer care execs go, they are close to wat RIM has! I have one Network problem pending with them for months! According to them, its solved... Planning to shift that phone to Airtel now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 Orange doesn't appeal to me as much!! As far as customer care execs go, they are close to wat RIM has! I have one Network problem pending with them for months! According to them, its solved... Planning to shift that phone to Airtel now! 43953[/snapback] Can't really explain the phenomenal rise in Airtel's subscriber, a little fishy there , but wouldn't definitely recommend Airtel to anyone. Hear me out - AIRTEL's bad and expensive - only worth taking if you have your friends and relatives on airtel. The customer care s****, offer activations / processing take a long time, and suddenly one day, your balance may even fall abruptly for no reason whatsoever. My personal experiences of all these trials and tribulations with Airtel made one fact eternal : That I HATE Airtel. It is the worst ( on par with trump ) service. P.S. - well, i forgot network congestion, so include that too !!!! And you can send MMSs to only Airtel phones - not even to any email addresses - how insane can that be ? atleast they should allow it to be sent to email addresses, if not other carriers ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linuxguy 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 Airtel are big spammers. They have been accused of "stealing" customer databases of rival operators and spamming them with messages and calls. As far as orange is concerned, i have a big beef with them. They are expensive and they have poor network coverage in our area. They dont admit the problem but all the orange customers here face the same problem - Terrible network and dropped calls! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 hey linux, which area of mumbai do u stay in ??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SexyGurl 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 GSM operators are in general costlier than reliance for LOW USAGE customers. eg. for postpaid .. Hutch, Airtel charge Rs. 50/- for CLIP, Reliance charges Rs. 25/- (assumption is that LOW USAGE customers do want to have CLIP ... which I think is true, in a lot of cases) R-world monthly membership is Rs. 25/-. Hutch used to charge Rs. 99/- for GPRS till 2 months back (and no per kilobit charge). Now it has reduced the monthly charge to Rs. 49/- but added a 10 paise per kilobit charge ... making it effectively costlier than the earlier 99/- per month itself. Even after paying a hell lot for GPRS, Hutch does not offer good content on GPRS (video is not possbile using GPRS technology, so no Aajtak, NDTV or Mukhvak) ... they just provide News, Horoscope and f*kking Rahul Dravid and Rahul Dravid and one more time Rahul Dravid. For videos like Aajtak, NDTV, CNBC ... one has to buy an EDGE-enabled handset .... The cost of that set, simply ruled out the option of even considering EDGE@Hutch. It used to be a Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 .... don't know how much the cheapest EDGE handset is now (I'll be very much surprised, if it is available at less than 6000/-) .... LG5130 sells at 3800/- and with video streaming capability is very very affordable, compared to any comparable GSM set. -- Incidentally, LG 5130 has become a very good option, since R-world went paid ... because they have recently launched very very lucrative videos ... Amitabh Special, Kishore Kumar songs, Lata Mangeshkar Collection, Bollywood Comedy Scenes. (Though, I find Rs. 7/- per video slightly costly ... I couldn't resist buying Kajra-re video). Not sure, but from what I hear around .... Hutch's rates for GPRS/EDGE services are many times like Rs. 20/- per download ... or EVEN Rs. 50 PER DOWNLOAD (YESSS-- FIFTY RUPEES PER DOWNLOAD) .. CRAAAZZZY. For me, I don't even bother to analyze Hutch tariffs and rates .... there was hardy a need to waste time and effort comparing Hutch and Reliance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linuxguy 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 Hutch, Orange are both VERY costly. For example, Orange prepaid yearly refill costs 3300 bucks. They give you back 2995 bucks. The call charges are an ASTRONOMICAL Rs.2 for any phone! While Airtel charges 3300 bucks for the yearly refill and you get back 3000 bucks BUT they charge you only Rs.1 for Airtel to mobile(any) calls and Rs.2 for calling up landlines. To get such a reduction of tarrifs in Orange, you need to pay them Rs.25 monthly! So what you get in 3000 bucks in airtel you get the same from orange for 2695!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SexyGurl 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 (edited) Though .. one thing can be said for Hutch subscribers (in Delhi, atlest) .... they attach a BIG "snob value" to using Hutch. I don't know the exact reason (... since the delivery is inferior to Reliance) .... but I guess these are the two reasons: 1. Hutch sells in Delhi becoz of the WAY-TOO-UPMARKET ADVERTISEMENT. - Hutch Ads do no feature Indians, in their Ads ... the models could more easily be associated with a European (maybe, that seeped down from the Orange brand in Europe). - Hutch Ads are designed to target / appeal to posh-South Delhi clientale (even though bulk of the buyers do not belong to that posh-group)... it very cleverly, creates an aspiration value in the minds of non-posh, non-South Delhi people (who aspire to be recognized with the posh group). 2. They keep the prices higher .... gives a person who can afford it, a feel that "I pay 1000-plus rental for my mobile. I am not in the group rickshaw-pullers who buy 150 rupee vouchers ... on dirt cheap handsets". Hutch Prices don't float in the light of the services offered ... atleast at the face of it (look at the clumsy gprs vis-a-vis r-world) .... but the PRICE itself "JUSTIFIES" that the service is of superior "STATUS". It's becomes "quite funny" (atleast from my experiences with HUTCH subscribers, in Delhi) .... as if, OWNING A RELIANCE, BY DEFAULT, MEANS YOU ARE A RICKSHAW-PULLER No wonder, many guys, in my office, are afraid to mimic me into buying a Reliance ... because giving out a 93-number will spoil their personality-image, when they give out the number to others. (eg. I know a guy, who doesn't want to put a 93-number on his Job Resume ... as it would look CHEAP. He's an MBA from a big school .... and naturally wants no remote association with a rickshaw puller). These kinda guys, keep having their tongues hanging out, while I browse R-world in front of them (off course, don't make it plainly open). Sometimes comment .... "This is nothing, compared to EDGE" ... even though, they themselved don't own EDGE-enabled handsets. LIFE IS FUNNY Edited October 16, 2005 by bhutes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashoksoft 83 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 LOL Bhutes .... what a comparision, I seriously find it annoying, the kind of life there in delhi. but hey I proudly say I am a RIM user, give only my RIM number (in fact all my memberships are with my RIM Number.... more since it is 93226-ASHOK (27465 on ur keypad) so I have my name in my number). Yes... EDGE is way upmarket, and pathetic when cost factors are considered. I love and admire the way u hold ur loyalty to the mobile u own, the reliance handset. I still use a 2030, and even when I am in my office where I get to see at least 85% + of the crowd using, high end handsets, where a Moto Razr is considered the bare minimum... and a pocket PC something everyone has ... (yeah ! lot of free money is seen in the office and they don't give that to me), I tease my friends around, asking how many of them gets free ringtones? wall papers? etc... and above all, how many of them can make free calls to a long list of numbers, not to mention the free SMS's (considering the number of friends I have in the RIM network)... Now isn't that one more reason why RIM gotta rule? PS : I still love rim, though I work for Hutch. Cheers Ashok Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abhay 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 Orange doesn't appeal to me as much!! As far as customer care execs go, they are close to wat RIM has! I have one Network problem pending with them for months! According to them, its solved... Planning to shift that phone to Airtel now! 43953[/snapback] Can't really explain the phenomenal rise in Airtel's subscriber, a little fishy there , but wouldn't definitely recommend Airtel to anyone. Hear me out - AIRTEL's bad and expensive - only worth taking if you have your friends and relatives on airtel. The customer care s****, offer activations / processing take a long time, and suddenly one day, your balance may even fall abruptly for no reason whatsoever. My personal experiences of all these trials and tribulations with Airtel made one fact eternal : That I HATE Airtel. It is the worst ( on par with trump ) service. P.S. - well, i forgot network congestion, so include that too !!!! And you can send MMSs to only Airtel phones - not even to any email addresses - how insane can that be ? atleast they should allow it to be sent to email addresses, if not other carriers ! 44055[/snapback] yup u r right ! airtel network is v v v congested Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 With much fanfare I shifted to Orange from BPL's campus zone card thinking it would be cool to be on orange - afterall most of my friends use orange, but i was wrong..... Bhutes mentioned that he had some serious problems with Orange network - im not too keen to accept it graciously for I was the Orange loyalist, but no more !!! The network in my area has been dropping continuously. Sometimes, with all bars it tells me no network coverage when I try to call someone / check my balance. Continous call cracking, call drops have become too common. I am seemingly becoming frustrated with their service. I plan to return to my faithful BPL, my friend for more than a year now. Today, within 3 hrs, my balance dropped from 26rs to minus 34 rs.... No idea how this happened. I really hope BPL doesn't lose its service after merging into HUTCH as a common network.. Im badly frustrated now !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 16, 2005 Hutch, Orange are both VERY costly. For example, Orange prepaid yearly refill costs 3300 bucks. They give you back 2995 bucks. The call charges are an ASTRONOMICAL Rs.2 for any phone! While Airtel charges 3300 bucks for the yearly refill and you get back 3000 bucks BUT they charge you only Rs.1 for Airtel to mobile(any) calls and Rs.2 for calling up landlines. To get such a reduction of tarrifs in Orange, you need to pay them Rs.25 monthly! So what you get in 3000 bucks in airtel you get the same from orange for 2695!!! 44069[/snapback] i dnt have any idea where you stay and why u feel airtel is better, but here's a genuine comparison for these operators in Mumbai.. Orange : To all local phones - 1.99 To all local GSM phones - 0.99 ( on payment of Rs.25/month) Airtel : To local AIRTEL phones - 1.00 ( thats good ! ) To other local phones - 2.25 ( thats OUTRAGEOUS !!!! ) To local cell phones - 1.00 ( 25rs rental ) ! Though no more in Orange's favour, compared to Airtel, I feel Orange is moderately priced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linuxguy 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2005 spookie, do you really live in mumbai? You got the Airtel tarrifs wrong! Airtel tarrifs are as follows: 1. Local cell phones -Rs.1 2. Local landlines and other phones - Rs.2 Thats it! No extra Rs25 crap... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abc123 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2005 hi, Airtel is pretty well guysd gives pretyy good service.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harshad 1 Report post Posted October 17, 2005 spookie, do you really live in mumbai? You got the Airtel tarrifs wrong!Airtel tarrifs are as follows: 1. Local cell phones -Rs.1 2. Local landlines and other phones - Rs.2 Thats it! No extra Rs25 crap... 44144[/snapback] You are talking about the Airtel One Local plan. There's a 25 rs rental for that. IF you want to confirm, log on to www.airtel.in or call up customer care .... Otherwise, the standard plan is what i have mentioned before called as the Airtel One Plan. Im fed up with Orange, bought an Airtel Card today. Lets hope this has got' better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
