Best Broadband Plans Across Cities To Help You Work From Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic

DeCode Staff
DeCodeIN
Published in
10 min readMar 19, 2020

During the coronavirus pandemic, governments from all over the world are shutting down big social gatherings and asking businesses, schools, and universities to function remotely or without social contact between employees. Most companies in India have already shut down their offices and have asked their employees to work from home. Schools and universities have also shut down and students are now taking their classes online. With millions of people working and learning from home at a time like this, it is very important to have an excellent internet connection.

There are so many local operators in India providing internet services at lower rates than nation-wide operators. In many homes, people generally prefer to opt for local service providers as they are inexpensive and their neighbours also use the same. While local service providers might give internet offers at cheaper prices, they aren’t as reliable as the more established players. With many people working from home now, not to mention kids too — with schools being shut as well — it is fair to question whether these local operations can manage the load. So, how to choose what is right for you? We have made a comparison in the following article for you to decide what will be best suited for you.

Multiple people are now mostly consuming the internet at homes for various different reasons. Video conferencing for office meetings or online classes, using OTT platforms for passing time, etc. The bandwidth that average home needs are going up significantly. Is your internet connection ready to give you that bandwidth? If not, check out these plans from the most valued service providers from your city.

Delhi

Delhi has a huge spectrum of service providers who offer great internet speed at even greater deals. So if you’re working from home for this month, consider these plans to up your internet game.

Reliance Jio is offering fibre plans from ₹699 — ₹8499 a month. With the Bronze plan (₹699) you will get internet speed up to 100 Mbps with 100 GB of data for a month. If you’re looking for more data, you can go for the Silver plan at ₹849 which will give you 200 GB data for a month. Jio also has Gold, Diamond, Platinum, and Titanium plans for heavy data users. The internet speed for these plans range from 250 Mbps — 1024 Mbps and the data provided is from 500 GB — 5000 GB. These plans are great for heavy data users who want to get their work done quickly.

Airtel’s plans start from ₹799 and go up to ₹1499 a month. If you’ve self-quarantined yourself and are looking for a basic plan then you can go for ₹799 plan which offers you 150 GB data with 100 Mbps speed. If you want faster speeds you can go for ₹999 plan which will give you 300 GB data with 200 Mbps speed or the Premium plan for ₹1499. This plan will give you 500 GB data with a speed of 300 Mbps. With this plan, you will also get an added benefit of Airtel Xtream, Amazon Prime, and Zee 5 Premium.

ACT is also one of the fastest internet providers in the city. Their plans range from ₹749 and go up to ₹999. The basic ₹749 plan also known as the ACT Silver Promo offers you 500 GB data with 100 Mbps speed. ACT Remarkable plan which is priced at ₹999 offers you 1500 GB of data at a speed of 125 Mbps. The validity for this is one month. If you want faster speed and more data, you can opt for ACT Platinum Plan. This offers 1000 GB data with a speed of 150 Mbps.

Nextra is one of the service providers in the city which offers you good internet speeds with unlimited data at cheap rates. You can go for the ₹417 plan which offers unlimited data at 100 Mbps. For faster internet speed, you can opt for the ₹599 plan which offers you unlimited data at 200 Mbps.

Mumbai

In Mumbai, Jio and Airtel are the two service providers who give you good internet speeds at great rates.

Jio’s one-month plans start from ₹699 and go up till ₹2499. The Bronze plan is priced at ₹699 which offers you 100 GB data with a speed of 100 Mbps. The Gold and Diamond plans are for heavy data users. The Gold plan offers you 500 GB data with 250 Mbps speed priced at ₹1299 and the Diamond plan has 1250 GB data at ₹2499 with a speed of 500 Mbps.

Airtel’s monthly plans range from ₹799 and go up to ₹1499. The basic plan priced at ₹799 offers 150 Gb data at a speed of 100 Mbps. If you’re looking for a faster speed, opt for the Entertainment plan priced at ₹999. This plan offers 300 GB data at a speed of 200 Mbps and has added benefits like Airtel Xtream, Amazon Prime, and Zee 5 Premium. If you still want faster speed, go for the Airtel Premium plan which is priced at ₹1499. This will give you 500 GB data with a speed of 300 Mbps and also includes added benefits similar to the Entertainment plan.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is one of the leading IT hubs of India which means more and more engineers and IT workers stationed at home for work. If you’re a resident of this city, consider looking at these plans from the best service providers in the city.

Just like other cities, Jio has its presence here too. Jio’s offerings in this city are similar to those in other cities. Their plans range from Bronze to Platinum and are priced at ₹699 and ₹3999 respectively. The most popular plans are the Gold, Diamond, and Platinum plans. The Gold plan offers you 500 GB data at a speed of 250 Mbps and is priced at ₹1299 per month. If you opt for the Diamond plan, you will get 1250 GB data with 300 Mbps speed, price at ₹2499 a month. If you still crave for more data, you can go for the Platinum plan which offers 2500 GB data with 1024 Mbps speed at ₹3999 a month. These plans also come with added benefits like Voice, TV video calls, gaming, home networking, device security, welcome offer, OTT apps, VR, and Premium Content.

Airtel also has some premium offerings which are priced at ₹999 and ₹1499. The ₹999 plan, also known as the Entertainment plan, offers you unlimited data at 200 Mbps speed for a month. If you want faster speed, go for the ₹1499 plan which offers you unlimited data at 300 Mbps speed. Apart from this both plans have added benefits like Airtel Xtream, Amazon Prime, and Zee 5 Premium.

Kolkata

Whether you’re having a self-quarantined time in Kolkata or your organization has asked you to work from home, we’ve listed down some of the best fibre network plans in your city which will get you through your days.

For speeds up to 100 Mbps, go for Jio’s Bronze and Silver plans which are priced at ₹699 and ₹849 respectively for one month. The Bronze plan will give you 100 GB a month while the Silver plan offers you 200 GB for a month.

If you want higher speeds go for Jio’s Gold, Diamond or Platinum plans which range from ₹1299 — ₹3999. The Gold plan offers 500 GB data with a speed of 250 Mbps while the Diamond plan offers 1250 GB data with a speed of 500 Mbps. If you want your speed to be in Gigabytes then go for the Platinum plan which offers a speed of 1024 Mbps speed and 2500 GB data. Jio’s plans come with additional benefits like Voice, TV video calls, gaming, home networking, device security, welcome offer, and OTT apps.

Airtel’s offerings are also comparatively similar to those of Jio. If you want higher speeds, then go for the company’s ₹999 or the Premium ₹1499 plan. With the Entertainment plan of Airtel you will get 300 GB data with 200 Mbps speed at ₹999 for a month. If you are a high data user, then go for Airtel’s Premium ₹1499 plan. This plan offers 500 GB data at a speed of 300 Mbps.

With this, you will also have access to Airtel’s added benefits like Airtel Xtream, Amazon Prime, and Zee 5 Premium.

Chennai

Working from home in Chennai? Looking for some good fibre plans for smooth work? Well, we have some of the best plans for you according to your need for speed!

For speed up to 100 Mbps, local operator, Netfire, has the best plan for you! You can opt for their Bicycle Plan of ₹600 and get 200 GB data. It can ensure smooth work from home.

Another local operator, DigiSurf, provides you with speed up to 125 Mbps and 625 GB data at ₹5299. However, Airtel offers better value at ₹999 with 200 Mbps speed and 300 GB data. It offers external benefits like Airtel Xtream, Prime Video, and Zee 5 Premium.

For speeds up to 300 Mbps, Airtel Premium is the best choice. In ₹1,499 you can enjoy the benefits of Airtel Xtream, Prime Video, and Zee 5 Premium, along with 500 GB data. If you are looking for higher speed, Jio Diamond offers you a plan of ₹2,499 you get 200 Mbps faster internet, 1250 GB data, free voice calls, TV video calls, low-latency gaming, home networking, device security, etc. You can save more with Jio’s welcome offer and Jio’s OTT ecosystem.

Only Jio provides speed up to 1 GBPS. Jio Platinum and Titanium are the two plans available. In Jio Platinum, you get 2,500 GB data at ₹3,999. In Jio Titanium, you get 5,000 GB data at ₹8,499. You will also have access to Jio’s special services mentioned above, with virtual reality gaming and access to premium content.

Bengaluru

Bengaluru is one of the major cities with vast fibre plans to choose from. You can enjoy work from home with a good fibre connection, and still, have enough to pass your weekends while you are quarantined.

You can go for Jio’s Bronze plan for most savings. It costs ₹699 and can give you speed up to 100 Mbps! You will have 100 GB of data with various benefits like free voice calls, TV video calls, low-latency gaming with Jio, home networking to connect those IoT devices, provides device security, etc. You can enjoy some extra benefits with Jio’s welcome offer and stream for free via Jio’s OTT ecosystem.

If you require speed from 125 Mbps to 150 Mbps, North East Dataa has the best plans you can choose from. SOHO Brilliant plan will give you speed up to 125 Mbps and 450 GB data for ₹2,999 whereas SOHO Value will provide internet speeds up to 150 Mbps and 500 GB data for ₹3,999. However, Jio Bronze plan is still a better option as it is considerably cheaper and will provide better value than these two plans.

For speeds up to 200 Mbps, Airtel has the best plan for ₹999! You will get 300 GB of data and access to Airtel Xtream, Prime Video, and Zee 5 Premium. Which makes it a great deal. However, Jio’s Gold plan gives this plan a tough competition with 250 Mbps speed, 500 GB data, free voice calls, TV video calls, low-latency gaming, home networking, device security, etc. Jio’s welcome offer and Jio’s OTT ecosystem is a bonus. The cost of the plan is ₹1,299 which is ₹300 more than Airtel’s plan. You can make the decision yourself according to your preferences.

For speeds from 300 Mbps to 500 Mbps, Airtel Premium and Jio Diamond, respectively, are the best choices. In ₹1,499 you can enjoy the benefits of Airtel Xtream, Prime Video, and Zee 5 Premium, along with 500 GB data. In Jio’s Diamond plan of ₹2,499 you get 200 Mbps faster internet, 1250 GB data, free voice calls, TV video calls, low-latency gaming, home networking, device security, etc. You can save more with Jio’s welcome offer and Jio’s OTT ecosystem.

For 1 GBPS, there are only two plans available. Jio Platinum and Titanium. In Jio Platinum, you get 2,500 GB data at ₹3,999. In Jio Titanium, you get 5,000 GB data at ₹8,499. You will also have access to Jio’s special services mentioned above, with virtual reality tech and access to premium content.

Conclusion

Luckily, during social distancing times like these, the state of Fiber broadband has never been better. Unlike ADSL connections of the prior generations, there is near 0 downtime meaning that during meetings with colleagues or clients over the video, you will almost never have an issue staying connected. For that reason, it’s important to check what technology your service provider is offering. Airtel, for instance, operates both ADSL as well as Fiber connections. ADSL connections, in addition to being less reliable, also offer lower bandwidth. It can also be difficult for local operators to manage the additional load on their systems and servicing can be an issue. Going with a national operator like Jio would mean not having to worry about scaling issues or about what kind of technology is used. Unlike Airtel, Jio is a pure-play Fiber broadband network. That said, it is best to gauge which operator will be the best fit for you keeping costs, features, and technology in mind.

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