Price and prejudice: Which data should you get?

Phone data has become a constant component of our monthly expenditure. Therefore it is important to select right data connection pack. A good 3G or 4G connection isn't just about affordable price, but also a good signal and coverage.

Internet connection varies not just based on the provider, but also the area. To get a gauge on the connectivity in your area, the best person to ask would be the recharge vendor nearest to your home — the person most likely to be informed about the most reliable mobile network there.

I talked to a few recharge vendors in my vicinity, only to realise that they were completely on Airtel and Vodafone's side. Even though they had Idea coupons and SIM cards to sell, they advise against it for the poor signal and coverage in their area.

Apart from mobile network's coverage, price is one of the most important important factor for choosing your data pack. We put together a list of data packs you can get depending on your usage.

LIGHT USAGE

Reliance, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea offer 1 GB of internet data for around ₹250, and 2 GB at ₹450. Which means if you have a daily usage of up to 60 MB of mobile data on a day, the money you shell out on any of the services are quite similar.

MODERATE USAGE

If you're a moderate user, and spend nearly 100 MB of data every day, Airtel and Idea are your best bet is Airtel, which charges approximately ₹550 for 5 GB of data. The other providers may charges nearing ₹1000 for a bit more data than that.

HEAVY USAGE

For those who need to stay connected throughout, things get a bit tricky. Delhi customers can choose between Airtel, Reliance or Idea at approximately ₹1,000 each, for 10 GB of mobile internet data or ₹1,399 for the same on Reliance.

For Mumbai residents, the choices filter out as Vodafone charges twice of what it does in Delhi. So, all Mumbaikars can choose from is Airtel or Idea while.

While we only took into consideration 4 service providers, BSNL and MTNL also offer data services and with the launch of Reliance Jio near, prices are supposed to slump further. But what we do hope for is some amount of uniformity in prices unlike Vodafone's plans for 10 GB of data in New Delhi costing half of Mumbai's.