Just about makes the grade!. Review on Sify Broadband Internet Connection

The problem with all broadband services in India is the last mile and that is the reason why you still have unreliable broadband service throughout the country. The situation is no different with Sify broadband. This internet service provider claims to have invested heavily in broadband hardware services but they have till date left the crucial last mile (ie from the nearest Sify hub to your PC network jack) to the local cable-wallah who now also calls himself a Sify franchisee. And just like in the case of your cable TV connection, in Mumbai, the territories for the franchisee have all been clearly demarcated and you will rarely have the luxury of choice of two or more internet service providers for your flat or housing colony. If your colony/housing estate has been handed over to a certain operator you will have to take whatever ISP broadband service that he or she offers. Unlike BSNL and MTNL the service will be offered through a cable line and not your existing phone line.

Installation was a jiffy-the moment I phoned up the Sify franchisee he turned up at my house within half an hour and about two hours later my broadband was up and running. The broadband installation of SIFY is a simple process and can be done without any hassles. I have presently opted for the 128 kbps/400 MB per month package as I was very skeptical of getting a speed of 256 through Sify given the number of bad reviews that it has received on this site. Usually I manage to achieve speeds of around 105-110 kbps which is the actual measured speed on my computer. There are plenty of free internet sites where you can measure your broadband speed. Measure it yourself and don’t get conned by what your operator says. Better still measure it in the franchisee’s presence. Strictly speaking 128 kbps is not defined as broadband speed but is only high speed internet but this is good enough for me. Besides I am a very light internet user. I still have to a take a decision on whether I should upgrade this to 256 kbps but given my present internet need this is unlikely to happen very soon.

The quality of the SIFY broadband service is similar to the quality of service of my TV cable connection as the same fellow provides both (he however call himself a Sify engineer when he comes for broadband service!)You can also forget about customer services through the SIFY help line. It is a dedicated 24 hour help line which provides no help. You will always end up at the wrong end of a call centre phone connection when you report a problem. And no one will come and rectify your reported problems and/or errors.There will be only promises galore over the phone (yes sir, our service engineer will come and attend the problem shortly; our engineer has not reported to your site yet sir? And all other such white lies.) Finally the problem will be rectified by your local cable-wallah(oops! make that Sify franchisee) and he will even let you on to what has actually happened.(Sir ek router switch defective ho gaya hai; usko change karne mein ek-do din lag jayegaa.)Doesn’t it feel nice if someone tells you the real truth-plain and simple without the call centre rubbish? In the area in Mumbai where I stay Sify is OK in fact good but only about 80 % of the time. The other 20 % of the time it does not work or is practically useless and that is when you need a dial-up service as a back-up. I suspect this is the pattern presently with broadband in India-it is not yet 100 % reliable. It is only the percentage of reliability that varies from place to place and from ISP to ISP. And irrespective of what Sify says, the last mile is in all cases covered by the franchisee so be careful about whom you chose.

In Mumbai, in addition the monsoon can play havoc with your broadband service as the service may be frequently down during these months .Also watch out for the fine print. The Sify franchisee is supposed to get a recurring payment which is deducted from your monthly rental incase you opt to recharge or renew through the internet Sify shopping site directly. This is not indicated anywhere when you renew. You might recharge for Rs 220 but when you log on who will find that the balance has been increased only by Rs 180.This after all taxes including service tax are paid and billed separately over and above the 220 bucks.

So overall how has my experience been? I would say that is been OK, nothing outstanding or lightning fast. But things are improving everywhere; possibly the cabling will soon give way to wireless internet which will of course mean that we will also have to enter the bright world of hackers but that may have to await another review!