Which Internet Service Provider Best Caters To Your Lockdown Lifestyle
It’s no surprise that with the global pandemic having brought the world to a standstill, we are all yearning to live our lives as ‘normal’ as possible. But with lockdowns being implemented in most countries, this is not as easy over extended periods of time.
Instead of going to the gym, now a ‘normal’ day starts with people watching and working out using Yoga or fitness videos, then proceeding towards their laptops to start their routine meetings over video conferencing, and lastly ending the day by streaming their favourite series’ or movies on OTT (Over-The-Top Media Service) platforms such as Netflix, Hotstar and SonyLIV for their daily dose of entertainment, be it movies, TV shows or streaming sports content before dozing off for the day. Kids and students take virtual classes instead of going to school (not to mention the homework hacks that they Google). And grandparents are spending their free time, video chatting with relatives spread across the world.
Based on your requirements such as internet bandwidth, data limits, and your favourite OTT platform, we’ve curated a list of fiber internet plans across different service providers that will best suit your everyday work, connectivity and (importantly) entertainment needs!
JioFiber
Having a subscriber base of 0.86 million, the newest kid on the block, JioFiber has aggressive targets for growing market share, and how we spend our time online. The company has definitely gone all out with a giveaway of a free 4K set-top box for current as well as new broadband subscribers. Users also get free subscriptions to OTT platforms like Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5, SunNxt, Voot and JioCinema at no extra cost. These subscriptions will be provided via the set-top box.
Jio’s 4K set-top box is an Android operated streaming media player that subscribers can connect to their TV with the help of an HDMI cable. It comes with a Bluetooth remote control which can take in voice inputs. You can download apps like Amazon Prime Video via the Jio App Store for a seamless experience. The set-top box also lets you run high definition and smooth video conferencing by plugging in a webcam to the set-top box and using the JioCall app! Since it is not a conventional DTH set-top box, it requires an internet connection to stream content, which brings us to Jio’s irresistible broadband deals.
Jio has a number of affordable fiber plans that will fit your entertainment needs perfectly. Their plans are divided into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum, and Titanium. Their plans start from ₹699 and go up till ₹8499 a month, showing a wide variety of plans for every individual’s as well as businesses’ needs, offering a number of attractive benefits. For a home internet connection, the Bronze and the Silver plan will suit your everyday entertainment needs. In the Bronze plan which is priced at ₹699, the users will get 200GB+50GB of high-speed data at 100Mbps. The plan also comes with a free subscription of OTT platforms like JioCinema and Jio Saavan.
With the Silver plan that is priced at ₹849 a month, users will get 400GB+200GB of high-speed data at 100Mbps with subscriptions to various OTT platforms. The subscribers are benefitting with free subscriptions of Disney+ Hotstar, otherwise priced at ₹399 a year, Voot, SonyLiv, and Zee5 otherwise priced at ₹499 a year, and SunNxt, priced at ₹489 a year. Recently, Jio also announced that users can now stream Amazon Prime content on the Jio’s 4K set-top box which was not available till now.
BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited)
BSNL is one of the internet service providers having the largest number of subscribers in India. They have many attractive bundled plans which offer free subscriptions to various OTT platforms. Their Super Star 300 and Super Star 500 bundle plans will be perfect for your home entertainment needs.
Their Super Star 300 plan which is priced at ₹749, provides their users with 300GB data at a speed of 10Mbps across all states. With this plan, you will get a free subscription to Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan which is otherwise priced at ₹399 a year.
Their Super Star 500 plan which is priced at ₹949, comes with 500GB data at a speed of 50Mbps across all states. Along with this plan, the users also get a free subscription of Disney+ Hotstar Premium which is otherwise priced at ₹1499 a year.
Bharti Airtel
With around 2.3 million subscribers across India, Airtel has taken its fair share of the broadband internet market.
The prices for their internet subscription start from ₹799 and go up to ₹3999 a month. For home internet users, only the ₹799 and ₹999 plan are feasible. With the ₹799 plan, the users will get 150GB of data with up to 100 Mbps speed. Along with this plan, the users have access to Airtel Xtream’s premium content.
With the ₹949 plan, users get 300GB data with a speed of up to 200 Mbps. The plan also comes with a free subscription of Amazon Prime (otherwise priced at ₹999), Zee5 Premium, and Airtel Xstream.
ACT Corp
The Bengaluru-based ACT Fibernet recently announced that it has crossed the 1.5 million subscriber mark. ACT is probably the only ISP that has partnered with the popular streaming service, Netflix.
ACT offers their subscribers with a number of plans which are priced at different levels in different cities. ACT subscribers are able to pay for their monthly Netflix subscription through their ACT Fibernet bill itself and get a cashback of up to Rs 500 per month while the minimum cashback is Rs 200. The amount will be directly added to your account.
However, their prices start pretty high for most customers and are varied on different levels across different cities in India which is probably a big hurdle that the ISP needs to cross.
The Entertainment packs in Bengaluru start at ₹1,059, in Delhi, it starts at ₹999, in Chennai you get the plan at starting price of ₹1049 per month and Hyderabad ACT users can get the Entertainment plan starting at ₹1050 per month.
