Landline
MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) is the largest provider of landline connections in Mumbai. It might be slow to set up, but it is the most stable and most recommended for landlines.
How to Sign up for an MTNL Landline Connection
- Fill out an application form which can be downloaded as a .pdf at http://mtnlmumbai.in/index.php/documents-required
- Visit one of MTNL’s Quick Customer Service Centers. You can find the Customer Service center closest to you by visiting: http://mtnlmumbai.in/index.php/csc-locations
- Submit your application form and the required documents and fees listed below.
- Someone will come to install the service in your home. It will take around two weeks before you are up and running.
Documents Required
- Passport
- Foreign Registration booklet
- Passport sized photo with your signature on it
- Proof of address
- Registration fee of Rs 500
Tariff
The tariff depends on which plan you select. All plans require a Rs 500 registration fee. There is a security deposit of Rs 1,000 for local plans or Rs 3,000 for international plans. The cheapest plan, for only incoming calls, is Rs 179 per month. For 100-200 outgoing local calls per month, the rate is Rs 289 per month. International charges vary and are charged according to the pulse rate.
See this page for a tariff chart: http://mtnlmumbai.in
Mobile
Getting a new mobile connection in Mumbai is very easy.
You can choose a “prepaid” plan, meaning you pay in advance or use a pay-as-you-go card. Prepaid plans are about 1-2 rupees per minute with a low start-up fee of about 100 rupees.
Or, you can choose a “postpaid” plan, usually a one-year contract, and have a bill mailed to you monthly. Postpaid services are usually less expensive. Rs 300 per month is the cost for a basic local calling postpaid plan with Vodafone.
A handset is neither included nor subsidized in your plan.
How to Sign up for a Mobile Connection
- Visit the local branch of the provider you have selected.
- Fill out an application form and show the required documents.
- Select the phone number you’d like. You’ll be shown a list of options.
- Pay the required fees and your number should work within a couple of hours.
Documents Required
for Postpaid connections
- Passport
- Foreign Registration booklet
- Passport sized photo
for Prepaid connections
- Passport
- Foreign Registration booklet
Mobile Phone Service Providers
- MTNL: http://mtnlmumbai.in/
- BSNL: http://www.maharashtra.bsnl.co.in/
- Airtel: http://www.airtel.in/
- Tata Indicom: http://www.tataindicom.com/
- Reliance: http://www.rcom.co.in/
- Vodafone: http://www.vodafone.in/
Other Options
Keeping in touch with relatives and friends overseas is cheap (or free!) and easy with Skype and Google Voice and Video Chat. Both services allow you to speak through your computer with the option to video chat as well.
Google Voice and Video Chat is available for free to all users of Gmail (http://www.gmail.com). You must have a microphone in or attached to your computer for Voice Chat. And you must have both a microphone and a webcam for Video Chat. To install voice and video chat visit: http://www.google.com/chat/video
Skype is a service which offers free one-to-one video calling, free Skype-to-Skype calls, and free instant messaging. It also offers super low-rate calls to mobiles and phones anywhere in the world. You’ll need a microphone in or attached to your computer for phone calls and a webcam for video calls. You can join and install Skype and learn more at http://www.skype.com/.
