To Enable Tethering on your Android phone:

1. Install the TetherBot application on your phone -

2. Install the Android SDK on your PC. Also install the device driver bundled with the SDK.

3. Now go to Menu > Settings > Applications > Development and enable USB Debugging on your phone.

4. Connect the phone to your PC; start the TetherBot application and press the Start Socks button.

5. On your PC, go to Command Prompt (Run > CMD) and navigate to the \androidsdk\tools directory.

6. Type this command and execute it
adb forward tcp:1080 tcp:1080

This starts a SOCKS proxy on Port 1080 using which you can connect to the internet.

You can now use this proxy to access the internet using any browser which allows you to set up a SOCKS proxy like Opera or Firefox.

For example, in Firefox, go to Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Connection > Settings > Manual Proxy Configuration >

Type: SOCKS
Host: localhost
Port: 1080

It’s just a soft launch, the commercial launch should happen in June.

The 3G tariff rates are expected to be the same as in Delhi. Yea, they still suck.

MTNL 3G Plans – Mumbai

- One Time Activation Charge – Rs. 500
- Monthly 3G Rental – Rs. 599
- 3G Data Monthly Service Charges – Rs. 149.
- Download Charges – Rs. 5 / MB

There hasn’t been any official announcement by MTNL yet. Details will be updated as soon as they come out.

Monthly charges for both Prepaid and Postpaid customers, exclusive of tax-

.

The Unlimited plan for Rs. 3000 is a god send. For most users, even the Rs. 650 plan would easily suffice. Just hoping MTNL learns a thing or two about fair pricing from BSNL and that Airtel, Vodafone or Reliance jump into the 3G game soon. Hopefully, the 3G spectrum auctions will be done by March 31st and we will have affordable 3G soon.

You can check out more details of the BSNL 3G plans here – BSNL 3G Plans.

Note: It seems that the current 2G enabled SIMs won’t be compatible with 3G. You will have to buy a new SIM for Rs. 300. Whether you can shift your existing number to the 3G plan isn’t clear yet.

EDIT: BSNL has also started offering 3G in these cities – Agra, Dehradun, Jammu, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Shimla, Patna, Ranchi, Haldia, and Durgapur. And I thought Mumbai was supposed to be the technological hub of India.

MTNL has priced 3G services so exorbitantly high, that no one except the upper echelon of society will be able to use it. So much for the talk about bringing mobile internet to the masses.

The 3G Jadoo service by MTNL is priced as (MTNL 3G Tariff Rates):

- One Time Activation Charge – Rs. 500
- Monthly 3G Rental – Rs. 599
- 3G Data Monthly Service Charges – Rs. 149. (Still not sure what it means.)
- Download Charges – Rs. 5 / MB

You can check out the detailed tariffs here – http://mtnldelhi.in/dolphin/tariff_3g.htm

These rates are complete BULLSHIT. After paying Rs. 599 / Month, you still have to pay Rs. 5 / MB for downloads. 99% Indians can’t even afford the basic rental, the per MB download charges are just killing. What’s the use of having a 3.5 MBPS download speed, if you can’t download enough without getting bankrupt.

Currently, I’m using the Airtel NOP plan, Rs 2 / day for unlimited downloads. The speed is decent – around 10 kBps and net around 3-4 GB a month with moderate downloads. MTNL 3G would cost me Rs. 599 + 5*4000 = Rs. 20599. Not to say, that if the speed is actually 3.5 MBPS, one would normally download much more. There is no unlimited plan, even, for say Rs. 5000. Even that would be relatively acceptable (Not really).

Sorry to say, but this plan sucks. I’m hoping Airtel or Reliance roll out 3G / EVDO soon and give us better and competitive pricing with atleast one reasonable unlimited plan.

It should hopefully come to Mumbai in about 2 months according to some dudes from MTNL. <sarcasm> Greatly timed move, considering half the world is already planning to move on to 4G. </sarcasm>