Finally, I got BSNL 3G USIM in Lucknow. Right now 3G is quite costly but the BSNL Voice calls costs less then Vodafone. You can read the tariff of BSNL 3G here.

Note : I am no longer using the BSNL 3G USIM. I inquired the information & did all the research for this service so this content & discussion on this blog post can continue.

 

3G is automatically activated when you activate the SIM using Rs 350 or higher activation voucher. To configure your phone for 3G Data Connection, just create a new connection with Access point “gprsnorth3g.bsnlmobile.in” or “bsnlnet” & leave all the other settings at default. Name it “BSNL 3G”. Then go to your phone’s “Network selection” menu & Select UMTS instead of GSM/Dual Mode.

If 3G isn’t available & if your phone is set in Dual mode then your SIM will automatically work in 2G mode. In that case the tariff will be same as 3G

The speed of BSNL 3G is HSDPA compatible & although I am not getting 3.6 mbps but the speed is still quite good at 512 kbps easily. Here is a screenshot which I was able to take of Symtorrent just before the speed throttled. The speed is 48 KBps or 384 kbps. To test the speed of your GPRS/EDGE or 3G connection check your DSL Report’s Mobile Speed at http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed

 

1) IMAP & POP3 E-Mail is supported. I am able to access my E-mails in my N79’s inbuilt E-mail client.

2) HTTP is supported. I am able to log in to chat networks using Slick.

3) FTP is also supported. ftp.gxsaurav.com works too using Webkit Browser.

4) Fring works fine, I can even make calls to people using Google Talk & Skype on computers.

5) SymTorrent works fine for downloading Torrents.

6) I am able to connect my PC to BSNL 3G using Nokia PC Suite’s One touch access.  

There is a great handy software called JoikuSpot Premium using which we can connect a PC to 3G internet of a Mobile phone. JoikuSpot turns your phone to a secure mobile WLAN HotSpot. No need for USB dongles, cables or Bluetooth. The light version is pretty much useless so premium is all you should buy if this is what you need. However, if you have Nokia PC Suite, you can also use to connect Mobile to PC to Internet. This is the speed I get.

 

BSNL has data plans starting with lowest denomination at Rs 250 in which you get 300 MB bandwidth. Now, for casual users this is a lot of bandwidth & they will only use 50 MB in a month when using Data services only in Mobile phone. BSNL also has a trial Pack of Rs 60 in which you will get 50 MB bandwidth but this trial pack can be used only once in any USIM & is valid for 15 days only. I would really urge BSNL to make this trial pack a proper 3G data pack in which for Rs 60 the user will get 50 MB bandwidth for a duration of 30 days. This is something every 3G subscriber will surely buy as most people associate 3G with High Speed Internet, but they forget that 3G is also about a better network connectivity & voice quality.

I was also able to make a video call to a friend Shuvadeep from Durgapur. He is using HTC Touch Diamond. I was able to take a screenshot during the video call but for some reason the screenshot application didn’t capture his video.

Me in 3G