BharatFiber Vs. RailWire Wifi: Which One is better?
BSNL is one of the oldest government telecom companies in India. This company has a solid consumer base for its telecom services and is now branching into Fiber optic Broadband services. To do this, they have launched the BSNL Bharat Fiber.
BSNL Broadband has unlimited broadband plans at low prices for its users. They mainly provide broadband services in urban areas and cities. On the other hand, RailTel is a Govt. of India offering under the Ministry of Railways and has become a competitor to BSNL Broadband services.
Railtel has introduced their retail FTTH (Fibre to the Home) broadband service called RailWire in 2008. They are growing exponentially, and as of 21st October 2021, they have a four lakh+customer bases and over six thousand ANP’s working with them.
RailTel has a countrywide presence, is creating a solid consumer base, and has a high-speed internet connection at railway stations all over the country. They do so with the help of their 60,000+ km optic fiber network, which runs along railway tracks.
RailWire mainly provides broadband services in rural village areas under their three-tier business model. RailWire offers different plans in different areas/cities. Their plan prices are slightly higher than broadband services like Airtel, Reliance Jio, and others.
In this article, you will know more about these providers’ plans, prices, and other details.
BSNL Vs.RailWire Wifi Installation Charges Comparison
| Particulars | Price |
|---|---|
| BSNL Bharat Fiber Installation charges | Rs 500 |
| ONT Security deposit (refundable) | Rs 1000 |
| ONT Rent per month | Rs 90 |
| ONT along with ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) WiFi Modem: Rent per month | Rs 200 |
| ONT purchase from BSNL with five years AMC (Annual Maintenance contract) | Rs 12000 |
| Particulars | Price |
|---|---|
| Installation and activation. (Inclusive of ONU with One year warranty and Maintenance support) | Rs 3000 |
Inference
BSNL’s initial charges are a lot lesser compared to Railtels charges. However, Railtel does give a 1-year warranty and maintenance support all under one price but the 5-year maintenance charge by BSNL is a whopping Rs.12000!
BSNL has no Installation Charges if you choose the Annual Payment option. Except for the maintenance charge the BSNL installation charges are quite minimal.
BSNL has an option of choosing a Free Modem which is available only with selected Plans.
BSNL Vs. RailWire Wifi Plans and Prices Comparison
| BSNL plan Details | Price |
|---|---|
| BBG UL 545 Up to 2 Mbps till 1 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 545/month |
| BBG Combo UL 675 Up to 2 Mbps till 1 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 675/month |
| BBG ULD 795 Up to 2 Mbps till 8 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 795/month |
| BBG Combo ULD 845 Up to 2 Mbps till 6 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 845/month |
| BBG Combo ULD 945, Up to 2 Mbps till 8 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 945/month |
| BBG Combo ULD 1445 Up to 2 Mbps till 20 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 1445/month |
| BBG ULD 1491EA Up to 2 Mbps till 30 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 1491/month |
| RailTel Plan Details | Price |
|---|---|
| RailTel 449 plan Up to 1 Mbps till 10 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 449/month |
| RailTel 499 plan 512 Kbps, Unlimited | Rs 499/month |
| RailTel 549 plan Up to 1 Mbps till 20 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 549/month |
| RailTel 599 plan Up to 2 Mbps till 10 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 599/month |
| RailTel 699 plan Up to 2 Mbps till 20 GB, after which it’ll become 512 Kbps | Rs 699/month |
| RailTel 899 plan 1 Mbps, Unlimited | Rs 899/month |
| RailTel 1399 plan 2 Mbps, Unlimited | Rs 1399/month |
Customer Care Comparison
RailTel
Railtel has a dedicated customer care network for each state. They have a separate customer care number and email id for each state. You can get your states customer care information on their official website – www.railwireinternet.com
RailTel customer care information:
- Toll-Free Number: 1800 1039 139
BSNL
Since BSNL offers many services like telecom, landline, broadband, etc, they have a dedicated service team for each of its services. They also have an option to download forms from their website which the user can print/fill and physically register for a new broadband/FTTH service in the BSNL office. You can find these forms here: www.bsnl.co.in/opencms/bsnl/BSNL/about_us/forms/index.html.
You can also get in touch with customer care via their BSNL mobile app.
- BSNL customer care: Toll-free number: 1800-345-1504
- Official website: www.bsnl.co.in
Bharat Fiber Or RaiWire WiFi: Which One Is Better?
So, which one should you choose? Bharat Fiber or RailWire? To sum it up, each of them has its own pros and cons. BSNL is definitely more popular than RailWire and has a more expansive presence. BSNL has a two-tier model for urban and semi-urban areas, and RailWire has a three-tier business model for rural and village areas.
Since the brand awareness of BSNL is higher than RailTel, they have good connections with local Cable TV operators who can utilize their fiber optic access networks to make their broadband plans a little less expensive than RailWire.
In terms of reliable network, BSNL has been a trusted brand for many years and has created an excellent reputation for itself in the market; and continues to provide a decent network to millions of Indians, so BSNL is more reliable. However, Railtel, in a short time, has created a loyal customer base. Because of positive feedback, many people are now looking forward to trying their broadband service because of its exciting plan and prices.
BSNL FTTH services are priced higher than Railtel. BSNL also has trusted customer services and is available in PAN India. RailWire consumers also are happy with the customer service and have admitted to having a less fluctuating network and lesser downtime. BSNL fiber broadband users have complained about having the network going down often. To conclude, RailWire offers cheaper plans with more data in comparison and has better network and customer service.
Conclusion
The above article will have provided a clear picture of the comparison between Bharat Fibre and Railwire Wifi. Find out more information about other popular network providers and their plans only on Selectra!