MTNL 3G Jadoo: Rs 75 for a YouTube video

MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd) was running a shoddy DAVP-type teaser campaign. There was no surprise at the end of it [MTNL Jadoo 3G press release], it was for the commercial launch of MTNL's 3G service. All that I was curious about was the tariff for India's first 3G service and as expected, it's not for me. Yet.

The initial service is limited to the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) area of Delhi and most of Delhi stays outside that area (and that includes me. Even my current workplace is outside the NDMC periphery).

The tariff is 'promotional'. Here are the details:

MTNL 3G Jadoo Tariff

Activation charge: Rs 500
Fixed charges: Rs 599 per month
Local voice call on own network: Rs 0.60 per minute
Local voice call on other networks: Rs 1.00 per minute
Local video call on own network: Rs 1.80 per minute
Local video call on other networks: Rs 3.00 per minute
STD/ISD
- STD video call: Rs 3.75 per minute
- ISD video call: Rs 30.00 per minute
Data - GPRS/3G/UMTS/HSPDA usage rate: Rs 5.00 per MB
Data HSPDA rental: Rs 149 per month

Which means that even if I just get a Jadoo connection and do not use it, I'll be paying atleast Rs 748 a month (that's about my average mobile bill a month, including GPRS usage).

And data usage rate is @ Rs 5.00 per MB. That means that if I want to watch an average YouTube video of around 15 MB, it'll cost me Rs 75! Don't know how many people can afford that. Atleast, not me.

This is more like the mobile phone rates in the mid-1990s and will surely fall. I'll then start active blogging, with all frills attached from my mobile device. Till then, I'll have to do with the Eee PC.