Excitel Community Help

Excitel

Disciple
Hi,

I'm here to officially represent Excitel Broadband Pvt. Ltd., a growing ISP in Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad. We vehemently oppose the idea of a fair usage policy (FUP) and based completely on redundant fiber backbone we provide symmetrical connections (as opposed to the ADSL/DOCSIS connections provided by ISPs, in majority). This together with our high speeds are our main fortés and which discernibly distinguishes us from other ISPs.

However, being a growing ISP, we strive to focus on resolving the issues that our customers might encounter. That, along with empowering our customers with the knowledge that would assist them in utilizing their internet connections in the most efficient manner possible is the aim that we have in mind with the creation of this official help thread.

This thread can be utilized for sharing feedback, for getting advice relating to issues with your internet connection, for queries that new customers might have in mind, questions pertaining to users thinking about opting for obtaining an internet connection from us, for interesting and informational bits of facts and figures and for several other useful reasons which we would eventually figure out in the future. :)

In addition to that, I would post informational / technologically beneficial posts based on personal insight from time to time.

Along with this help thread, I could also be contacted at community@excitel.com. You can also directly reach support at support@excitel.com.
 
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Many users report cuts and most of these are probably due to LCO as line goes down. Personally used Excitel last April-June and it used to go down more than normal. Is this mainly due to bad quality of the copper wiring and switch boards they use? And is it also dependent on distance?

Also why the small increment in non-peered speed? I think Excitel can give higher at least where it's giving FTTB, and expand FTTB coverage.

Btw thanks Excitel for mostly single handedly changing broadband landscape of Delhi, and the FUP. Surpised that today Chennai and Hyd plans are generally worse than here. All LCOs which were on stuff like 4mbps 30gb are give Excitel like plans and some are deploying fiber.
 
In which areas are you guys available in Hyderabad?
To be honest, Expanding through LCO model doesn't work in Hyderabad. So Good luck competing with ACT FIBERNET.
 
I have had an Excitel Reeltime 695 connection for a month now. Of the 28 days i used this connection , it showed multiple disconnections ("Lost Carrier" ) on 5 days, i.e around 20% downtime.. Thats quiet deplorable. When it works, it should work fine. I havent yet tested Youtube on Excitel as my PC is connected to a Nextra connection.
But yes, thanks for atleast changing the Broadband landscape in Delhi !

Also, I have a question? is the connection truly unlimited?
Even Nextra claims "unlimited" but on asking them repeatedly , they threw up a figure of 400GB p.m as the FUP.

Another pain point is the claimed speeds- that's a a hit or a miss..
I have seen on multiple occasions that the speed drops to 3-4Mbps on a 20Mbps plan.
 
Many users report cuts and most of these are probably due to LCO as line goes down. Personally used Excitel last April-June and it used to go down more than normal. Is this mainly due to bad quality of the copper wiring and switch boards they use? And is it also dependent on distance?

Most of the LCOs are improving as time progresses, as we're stressing heavily on improving the LCO sided networks. The LCOs are adapting, changing and improving their ways and means of doing business, along with the quality of their networks.

In most cases, it is the distribution panel / board which is mismanaged by the LCO, which results in connection disruption at the customer's end. This is why we're actively working with the LCOs in order to help them manage and improve their networks, because the fiber nodes are super redundant and never goes down, but yet, if the customer experiences disruptions, its due to the LCO related reasons discussed previously.

Also why the small increment in non-peered speed? I think Excitel can give higher at least where it's giving FTTB, and expand FTTB coverage.

Two main reasons; firstly, because we have been working on augmenting the user experience of a multitude of services and platforms via our peering technology. If you consider the most commonly used sources by the end users, you would see that we have focused on augmenting almost all of them with the help of our peering efforts: Microsoft Windows OS updates, Apple device updates and installations, Google Play Store (Android), Facebook Videos, HotStar, YouTube etc, along with, Torrents. Therefore, peering speed now holds paramount importance.

Second, there's another factor that we need to consider; which is related to the quality of the last mile connectivity provided by the LCO. We can increase the speed, however, if an LCO has a sub-standard network established in its area, the customers wouldn't be able to get the speed that they have been offered. As you may have noticed, however, we have been upgrading the speeds of our plans on a constant basis. Moving on from the initial 5 Mbps plans (non peering speeds), we have upgraded the speeds to 10 Mbps and thereafter 20 Mbps at a fraction of the cost compared to what it was previously. We are also trying to improve the stability and quality, simultaneously, to not just advertise high speeds, but also to enable us to realistically be able to deliver the same. :)

Btw thanks Excitel for mostly single handedly changing broadband landscape of Delhi, and the FUP. Surpised that today Chennai and Hyd plans are generally worse than here. All LCOs which were on stuff like 4mbps 30gb are give Excitel like plans and some are deploying fiber.

As mentioned previously, we vehemently oppose the idea of a fair usage limit. It makes no sense for an ISP to limit the bandwidth of their users, to make up for their shortcomings in other areas, such as improving their infrastructure, for example.

In which areas are you guys available in Hyderabad?

We have completely revamped our online presence map, which can be found on the homepage of our website (http://www.excitel.com/), which shows the areas which we are active in. You could check the same.

The red dots on the revamped online presence map are based on the information provided by our backend system, which ensures that they are highly accurate as well as precise. As a rule of thumb, It is safe to assume connectivity to about 1 km around each red dot.

To be honest, Expanding through LCO model doesn't work in Hyderabad. So Good luck competing with ACT FIBERNET.

We recognize ACT's presence in Hyderabad. We very well understand the challenges of working with partners (LCOs) than without, however, we're focusing heavily on improving our services and are totally committed to anything and everything that must be done in order to resolve issues, permanently. We're growing at a face pace, are truly unlimited (vehemently oppose FUPs) and provide symmetric connections thanks to our redundant fiber nodes. We're reliant on feedback from everyone in order to find more ways of improving the quality of the services that we offer.

I have had an Excitel Reeltime 695 connection for a month now. Of the 28 days i used this connection , it showed multiple disconnections ("Lost Carrier" ) on 5 days, i.e around 20% downtime.. Thats quiet deplorable. When it works, it should work fine.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused. Is it working fine now?

Also, I have a question? is the connection truly unlimited?
Even Nextra claims "unlimited" but on asking them repeatedly , they threw up a figure of 400GB p.m as the FUP.

All internet plans offered by us are completely and truly unlimited. You could enjoy watching some 4K videos on YouTube (for example) and confirm the same, yourself. :)

Another pain point is the claimed speeds- that's a a hit or a miss..
I have seen on multiple occasions that the speed drops to 3-4Mbps on a 20Mbps plan.

Which server / service / platform were you trying to establish a connection to, when you noticed that?

I have been on excitel for more than a year now, and have 3 connections in use. The connections are truly unlimited.

Thanks for the positive feedback. We strive to improve our services to enable us to see more of such feedback from our users in the future.

I've tried to contact Excitel in Delhi 3 times to get a connection without any success.

To begin with, I suggest checking our online presence map, which can be found on the homepage of our official website: http://www.excitel.com/
You could check if you see any red dot(s) (points of presence) around your location. Connectivity can be expected up to 1km around each red dot.

Furthermore, as mentioned in the first post, you can contact me at community@excitel.com with your full name, mobile number and complete address.
 
Hey, Thanks for answering each query patiently.


- Would like to know how will you guys address overcharging by LCO incase of cash payments?
- Out of curiosity, whose dark fiber have you leased in Hyderabad?

Like leading operators have ETA for fixing fiber cuts. Whats your company's Laid rules for getting up a connection working due to Fiber cut? Don't tell me "As soon as possible" cuz Like ACT fixes within 4hrs during Day hours.

PS: Not a big fan of ACT or FUP'd broadband. Just want someone to address monopoly created by ACT cuz the FuP caps are still a little. 72% of share in Single player's hand is dangerous. :mad:
 
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Hi

When are static IP's going to be available? At the moment, the connection is double NAT-ted which makes port forwarding of any kind absolutely impossible. Even a public dynamic IP would be okay in this case as we can use dynamic DNS.

This is a pretty important point and I would be willing to pay a monthly / annual fee for the IP. At the moment I have been forced to get a secondary airtel connection just so I am able to port forward.
 
To begin with, I suggest checking our online presence map, which can be found on the homepage of our official website: http://www.excitel.com/
You could check if you see any red dot(s) (points of presence) around your location. Connectivity can be expected up to 1km around each red dot.

Furthermore, as mentioned in the first post, you can contact me at community@excitel.com with your full name, mobile number and complete address.

I've just checked the coverage map and there is a dot exactly where I live. I am sending an e-mail to the above mentioned ID, thanks!
 
- Would like to know how will you guys address overcharging by LCO incase of cash payments?
This is one of the most serious breach of our terms of service with regards to our partners (LCOs). We have a zero tolerance policy regarding acts such as these. Excitel decides the pricing and the LCOs have no right to modify or fabricate it in any way or form.

This is another reason why we're stressing upon the customer calling us directly and not the LCO regarding the various concerns and queries that they might have. When the customer contacts us directly, a ticket is created, which allows us to keep track of the actions taken on a case to case basis. However, if the customer primarily establishes contact with the LCO only, all issues and concerns go undocumented (as perceived by us), which is not desired at all.

Therefore, to answer your question, customers should contact our toll-free customer care number (1-800-419-0616) or create a ticket themselves, directly, via the (revamped) My Excitel app. Once a ticket is created, we can keep track of the defaulting LCOs and react firmly on any complaint regarding such cases.

- Out of curiosity, whose dark fiber have you leased in Hyderabad?

Sorry, but we do not disclose our fiber vendors nor the terms of our agreements with them.

Like leading operators have ETA for fixing fiber cuts. Whats your company's Laid rules for getting up a connection working due to Fiber cut? Don't tell me "As soon as possible" cuz Like ACT fixes within 4hrs during Day hours
PS: Not a big fan of ACT or FUP'd broadband. Just want someone to address monopoly created by ACT cuz the FuP caps are still a little. 72% of share in Single player's hand is dangerous. :mad:

Our main approach is to protect the routes using redundancy - double, triple, quadruple - higher the importance of a PoP, the more protected it is. Our design goal is to accommodate fiber downtime without having the users suffering due to it, i.e., a fault-tolerant approach.

EDIT:

I've just checked the coverage map and there is a dot exactly where I live. I am sending an e-mail to the above mentioned ID, thanks!

Your details were forwarded to the appropriate department. You were contacted by us and have been informed that the immediate vicinity of your location is not technically feasible, yet. Therefore, we cannot provide a connection to your vicinity, at the moment. However, we have taken note of the details you had provided and you would be intimated as soon as we're able to service your locality.
 
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Hi

When are static IP's going to be available? At the moment, the connection is double NAT-ted which makes port forwarding of any kind absolutely impossible. Even a public dynamic IP would be okay in this case as we can use dynamic DNS.

This is a pretty important point and I would be willing to pay a monthly / annual fee for the IP. At the moment I have been forced to get a secondary airtel connection just so I am able to port forward.

Unfortunately, we are not providing static IPs right now. This is due to multiple reasons. First of all, as you would know, there's an acute shortage of IPv4 addresses and its difficult to acquire them in any case. Moreover, the entire process related to static IP provisioning needs to be enhanced and revamped. Could you let us know what are the main reasons and motivations behind the requirement for a static IP, in detail? This would help us understand and channelize the exact reasons why a customer would need it.

I know this is very much of a long shot, but you'd be welcomed with open arms in Chennai! ;)
@Excitel do you have any plans to expand to Pune? If so, any approximate timeframe?

We are looking to expand to tens of cities in the next few years. Exact plans would be announced from time to time. :)
 
For the last 5 months im waiting for your isp to expand just a little bit so that i get your connection
I have completed that "Get excitel" form many times on your site and even called on customer care but still no difference.
Your nearest presence is just 1.3Km away from my home that is sarojini nagar
And nearest presence is in Arjun nagar/Safdurjung enclave
So any timeframe on when are you guys expanding to my location
Pincode: 110023
I already know 5 guys within 100mt from my home who will get your connection in an instant
You guys have delayed for so long that even hathway and siti are providing even better plans than your isp
Like Hathway gave me 25Mbps with unlimited data @ just Rs919
I would still like you guys to expand just a little bit and come to our area
 
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We are looking to expand to tens of cities in the next few years. Exact plans would be announced from time to time. :)

@Excitel you say you are vehemently against FUPs but do you have an informal limit to amount of data used every month per customer? What if I stream 4K youtube content non-stop every month, by my rough calculations that will be around 7 terabytes of data transferred - is that OK with you? I know this data is "local" or "peered" (whatever) so should not be an issue for you but what if a user downloads data from internet (non local, non peered data) say crossing 1 terabyte every month, will you warn such people for misuse?
 
@Excitel you say you are vehemently against FUPs but do you have an informal limit to amount of data used every month per customer? What if I stream 4K youtube content non-stop every month, by my rough calculations that will be around 7 terabytes of data transferred - is that OK with you? I know this data is "local" or "peered" (whatever) so should not be an issue for you but what if a user downloads data from internet (non local, non peered data) say crossing 1 terabyte every month, will you warn such people for misuse?
I think they will just throttle those accounts speeds.
 
@Excitel you say you are vehemently against FUPs but do you have an informal limit to amount of data used every month per customer? What if I stream 4K youtube content non-stop every month, by my rough calculations that will be around 7 terabytes of data transferred - is that OK with you? I know this data is "local" or "peered" (whatever) so should not be an issue for you but what if a user downloads data from internet (non local, non peered data) say crossing 1 terabyte every month, will you warn such people for misuse?
I think they will just throttle those accounts speeds.

When we say "truly unlimited", we really mean truly unlimited. As you can possibly imagine, we have a huge demand for bandwidth, yet it would never be a problem for us, because we do not allow bandwidth to become a bottleneck for us. Like I said previously, ISPs holding back and/or restricting bandwidth makes no sense whatsoever. To summarize, go ahead, enjoy your 4K youtube videos to your heart's content, there are no fair usage limits imposed. (if you check, I had posted this exact same thing in a previous post before yours) :)
 
@Excitel thanks for the replies. Some more queries, more out of curiosity:

1. Why only upto 80 mbps speeds (30+50) and not a good amount more like, say, 100 mbps (or 100+100) since you have fiber backbone and excellent peering in place apparently? Any chance of providing "gigabit" speeds in (near) future to end users?

2. What is the end-user "CPE" (customer premises equipment) - is it DOCSIS cable modem? If so, what version? I guess the newer 3.0 and 3.1 would allow you to provide higher speeds? Is it dictated by your "LCO" partners or do you have them use latest equipment?

3. From your website it seems you are using "Extreme Peering" solution (among others) for internet bandwidth savings (and speedup) for some HTTP/P2P content - can you (in general) mention how you go about peering with major folks like Microsoft, Google, Apple etc? Do they provide solutions to ISPs such as yourself or do you perhaps peer in that "Mumbai Convergence Hub" thingy, something like that?[DOUBLEPOST=1488022563][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, do you have any "contention ratio" that you can or cannot talk about?
 
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