Dolphin Mobile Operator

I MNP my no to MTNL just because I wanted to use net services across India and guess what it was a good decision as I was able to surf chat even do video calling across India. I must say the way MTNL is going they can give a tuff competition to their rivals in operating market.

Cons are just little scratchy as I feel the validity recharges of MTNL should be stopped as my other operators are giving lifetime validity but who cares now? I can enjoy my surfing and chatting lighting fast across India.

Thank you MTNL/ BSNL.

Before you go ahead and badmouth Dolphin, keep in mind that this is a product from govt company, so(a), they do not have incentive to cheat and increase revenue per user, and(b), they do not have incentive for customer satisfaction also. kind of black and white either ways.

Agreed, network signal strength is poor at times if you are outside metros/ roaming, network traffic at times(calls may not go through) and internet may not work at times. But, do you believe you won't face these problems with the private operators!

I am using Dolphin 2G prepaid for past 2 years and am a quite satisfied customer. I also have Vodafone post-paid which I really regret. My nature of job involves frequent travelling so I am on roaming a lot. The roaming charges of Dolphin are the lowest among all. I even get connected to internet on roaming!

If you really want to avoid trouble with customer service(problem with all operators including dolphin, idea, Vodafone, etc), go for pre-paid connection. You can rest assured that you will not be ripped off through unexpected charges in bills at the end of the month.

I use post-paid MTNL Dolphin mobile for last 10 years. Although the service is pathetic, like poor network coverage, call drops, voice clarity etc., I continued my relationship with Dolphin only because it is government supported company and I am proud to be an Indian.

Yesterday I purchased new phone that required Micro SIM card. I went to the MTNL shop at Thane today to get the existing SIM converted into Micro SIM. This was to be done without any change, either in the plan or service type. The clerk at the counter denied my request on the ground that the system is showing outstanding bill. In spite of my telling her that I am the loyal MTNL customer for last 10 years and has not kept any outstanding of bills and also this change in the card from the previous one to Micro SIM is not going to affect my present plan or any change from Dolphin to Trump and I will be clearing the bill before the due date(in my case it was 29th May 2013), the clerk at the counter did not issue me the card though the necessary documentation was presented. My request to talk the matter with seniors to resolve the matter was also ignored.

This really caused great disappointment to person like me who is with MTNL for several years. This clearly shows that MTNL doesn't care about it's customers and doesn't want to retain them by being proactive in providing good customer service.

As a result of this insulting treatment, I have decided to port my number to another service provider with the hope that I will get a better experience.

I started using mtnl's dolphin prepaid mobile 4-5 months ago. many people said bad things about it and I was shifted to mumbai so I don't know who are good mobiles in this city. so at start I had bought airtel, but its netwrok was very bad and they started reducing my balance on false conditions like callertunes activated, internet charges when I had not done any of those. but my experience with Bsnl was very good so I think good of government companies. at least they have low rates and don't do cheap tricks like the pvt companies like hidden charges, balance stealing etc

so I bought mtnl sim from a mtnl office. the sim was rs. 10 and with a plan coupon of Rs 84 that offers250 SMS (Local & National) free for first 3 months, 250 mb data free every month. and the call charges are just 30 paisa per minute for all national calls and 60 paisa for STD. it is the cheapest rates in market. and mtnl doesn't require any special coupon recharges to get these low rates like other companies. I was paying rs.40 per month to airtel for local call of 30 paisa per minute.

the network is good and better than airtel. I don't know why ppl say it is bad. sometimes on train the signal goes to zero but same was of airtel also. there are no stealing balance deductions. the recharge coupons are very good. there is a 2200 coupon which has 3000 rs. talktime. my monthly mobile costs have come down from 700 recharge to approx rs 300 per month on dolphin for the same number of calls and sms. this is very customer friendly company that does not loot customers like others. my recommendation goes for dolphin. Don't her the bad words ppl say abt it, it is sure good and very better choice than pvt companies who keep rising call rates and recharge coupons prices.

I PORTED MY NO FROM AIRTEL TO DOLPHIN FOR BETTER SERVICENOW ITS AROUND THREE

MONTHS USING DOLPHIN.THEY ARE PROVIDING QUITE PATHETIC  SERVICE.SOMETIMES

NETWORK NOT AVAILABLE THEN U HAVE VOICE CLEARITY PROBLEM CUSTOMERS SERVICE ARE

NOT PROPER, THEY DID NOT PICK UP THE CALL, SOMETIMES TO NEW NUMBER CALL IS NOT ABLE

TO CONNECT  THEN SOMETIMES PROBLEM OCCURSW IN THE MOBILE NET AND THEN THEY  NEVER COME UP WITH EXCITING OFFERS FOR PARTICULAR CUSTOMER THEY DO PROVIDE FULL AND MORE THAN FULL TALK TIME ON BIG RECHARGE BUT OVERALL THE SERVICE IS BAD.  .SO ON

I am mtnl mumbai dolphin user from last 6 to 7 years and always hoped government service is the best compare to pvt. but this mtnl people proved me wrong by providing world class worst the most horrible and most irresponsible service provider

1) mtnl network still has problems and highest call drops, poor network coverage , one end call only, cannot speak continuously for more than 3 to 4 minutes many time call get disconnect, cannot dial and receive calls fast

2) no plans in postpaid and prepaid like nowadays pvt. operators provide

3) customer service is the most worst and 1503 helpline is closed we have to speak to all old females in mtnl helpline they dont know how of mobile service

They dont speak hindi or english but only marathi language they speak

4) after mnp service these ppl dont have the responsibility to make customer to port in there network there helpline 1800221503 is also dead it is not working

5) there billing system is one month late and many time they charge heavliy without any know how of the coustomer

i have ported in idea but request you to not port in mtnl dolhin mumbai port to any network but please but not in mtnl service" there service charges is cheap but there service and quality is most cheap and worst"

I'm a resident of Mumbai city and have always thought of state-owned enterprises as inefficient and incompetent. After the recent MNP facility was announced, a HUGE number of mobile subscribers flocked to Vodafone. As a result, Vodafone is now the worst service provider in Mumbai. No jokes. I always held Vodafone in high esteem right from their Hutchison Max days.

I had a very old Vodafone number which I had retained because some people just couldn't forget it. I decided to apply for MNP and sent requests to several Mobile service operators in mumbai. MTNL, Idea, Tata Docomo, and Reliance.

The very next day I got a call from MTNL explaining the MNP process and the documents needed. No sign of private players yet. Oh wait a minute! I had specified that I wanted to use their Prepaid services! That's why none of the private players bothered to respond.

Since I was going to use the mobile in my office in a fixed location, I really didn't mind if the network was bad across the city as long as I got decent network in my office. So I decided to dive in with the Dolphins. I went to my nearest Telephone exchange, filled up a form, showed the original documents, submitted copies of my documents, signed and paid Rs.10/-. I chose to opt for their Trump prepaid service as I didn't relish the thought of spending hours arguing any billing discrepancies with these govt. employees. I mean seriously! If Reliance and Airtel couldn't get better customer service staff, should we expect our PSU telecom operator that is surviving on a ventilator to do better?

Reliance, TataDocomo, and IDEA hadn't called me up even 3 days after requesting a call back on their website. Could they be busy handling the gazillion MNP requests they have received? To be fair to them, they did call back after 3 days, but Reliance and IDEA did not want any Prepaid MNP migrants. They prefer Post-paid accounts because the Average Revenue Per User is much higher in Post-paid accounts. Plus, with Post-paid you have the choice of playing with the customer's bill in as many ways as you can and slap hefty fines at will. TataDocomo couldn't care much since their network is notoriously bad.

So getting back to the Trump SIM card: Well, having paid Rs.10/- the lady handed a SIM card to me. A few days later I got an SMS from Vodafone saying that my MNP request had been accepted. The next day the SIM stopped working. For the next 2 days, my very old mobile number turned into a  "Number not in use" whenever someone called me. But after the mandatory 7 day period from submission of MNP form etc., the new Trump SIM started working.

I have been using it for a good couple of weeks and have faced no network congestion or network error issues. These are issues that I Still face on my other Vodafone number. I haven't bothered to check their 3G services because thats not my priority. Maybe someday I will check it out.

So, to sum it all up : Go for a mobile service provider who will be around for a long time and who doesn't depend on fleecing you to make a living. Sure, PSU telecom service providers may be inefficient, but they're catching up to the private players coming up with competitive tariffs, and decent service levels.

Oh and a week after using the Trump SIM card, a lady from MTNL called me again to ask if I was facing any problems and if I was satisfied with the services! This coming from an organisation that was notoriously sloppy!

I stay in Mumbai and have used Vodafone, Airtel and Dolphin during last 10 years.

It is a fact that the best cellular operator in Mumbai is Vodafone. Airtel in Mumbai is the worst.

I am using Dolphin for last 6 months. As most other reviews here suggest, the network coverage is bad. But purely from an economic point of view, Dolphin is THE cheapest choice. You get some benefits like low SMS charges, per second billing etc. free which you have to pay (using bonus coupons) for other operators.

Pricing: As cheap as it gets. Bonus talktime is given freely on prepaid recharges even as low as Rs. 125. I once used their SMS coupon (something like 500 SMSs free - any network, local/STD - for Rs. 30, valid 30 days), and it is now well past 2 months but still I am not charged for any SMS that I send :-P

Also, I am a heavy GPRS user, and the GPRS charges of 1 paisa per 10 KB (without any bonus coupons) are way too cheaper than others. Rating: 9/10

Network Quality:The voice and data transfer quality of Dolphin, if it connects, is second to none. The key word here is if.The network is good outdoors, but it gives many problems indoors. I really do not know why they can't improve the coverage. Because their network equipment seems to be of good quality - if it connects the quality is really good. With a better network coverage and marketing, I am sure Dolphin will give a tough competition to any other player with its cheapest tariffs. But be ready to dial a number at least 2 times on average to make sure your call gets through :D

Rating: 6/10

Customer Support: Because the user base in small, the call to the customer care gets connected without waiting on the line for even one second. And unlike most other private operators, the calls to CC are free. The CC people are average to dumb, but get the work done if you spoonfeed them about your query. Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is a good choice as a second number (as most people have 2 connections these days in metros). Don't expect the network reliability of Vodafone or high end VAS like BlackBerry service, M-Shop and Pocket Apps etc. It will greatly reduce your monthly mobile expenses. Overall Rating: 6/10

It hasn't been long since I started using Dolphin.but it sucks rite from DAY ONE.

Presale experience- To begin with, before going to the Versova telephone exchange to get a prepaid sim, I called up the customer service centre, to inquire about the documents required, the executive told me that a ration card and a PAN card would do. But when I went there to get the sim, the lady refused to accept the ration card as an address proof. So I had to make the trip again, this time with my passport and the election card:p, just to be on a safer side. I took the 10 Rs  sim card and the 62 Rs sakhi plan card wherein calls to 2 Dolphin/Trump numbers would be free. I was told that my sim card would be functional in the next 12-24 hours and so it did(the only positive) and after that I was supposed to register the 2 sakhi plan numbers that I wanted.

Lets talk about the network now- Getting the all so valuable dolphin signal is a task in itself, hanging precariously from one of the two windows where I get the Dolphin network, and I reside near Andheri Link Road, not a place where you would expect network issues, would you?

Customer service- So I called up the call centre to register the numbers and I was told that it would be done in the next 12-24 hrs, and that day was 9th of September 2010. After that I've been calling the call centre for at least 4 times a day and their only answer is that the server is down and the request would be taken care of in a day or two and that it was marked as urgent.

How long does it take to get the server running? And if at all there is a problem, why don't they stop selling those plans for that period. 9 days! is a looooong time and its still counting, that too for an urgent request, don't know what will be the duration for a request that wasn't that high on their priority list.

Dolphin needs to pull their socks up and get their act together because the way they are running the business, it doesnt seem like they would be able to beat the competition for long.

Otherwise an animal lover, would be happy to kill this Dolphin.:)

I have a dolphine connection 9969025192. I was quite happy with the connection in the beginning. However, for the last few months, the network coverage of the said number is very poor, especially in chembur-anushaktinagar area. You can never get through a number as the message always displayed is "error in connection" "network busy" etc.

Even if the call is through through luckily, I am able to talk only a few seconds that too with lot of disturbances and echos. Since I have given this number ito many of my friends and also to various authorities, I am compelled to retain it without much use. I do not know where to lodge the complaint in MTNL about this poor service. This is not only my case, many of my friends who have taken dolphin connection are repenting now having taken this connection. Let MTNL authorities make a survey in Anushaktinagar and they will come to know how much their customers are fed up. Even some people, including me.

Have a doubt that MTNL being a Public Sector service, the poor service is deliberately created by the MTNL staff so as to help the private sector, as they are functioning well. Who knows what is the truth.

MTNL Mumbai has added some more value in its prepaid SIM 199 which was having a range of benefits. Along with other benefits this prepaid will offer Rs 99 additional talk value and 199 free SMS on its local network. Earlier benefits of this SIM are reduced call rates to Local MTNL @ 19p, other local @49p and STD @ 99p.

It also benefits SMS rates which are 25p for local and 50p for national This offer is definitely offering more value for money to the customers but having same call and SMS rates in prepaid SIM 99 will always

be a better selling product because of its lower price and keeping in mind presently almost every SIM of private operators are labeled at Rs 49 with lifetime validity with reduced call rates SIM 199 will be an expensive affair. Loop Mobile has also tried selling SIM with higher validity of 5years with lower call rates but it is yet to be seen if higher price inhibits it’s off take from the market.

I have a 399 prepaid plan for unlimited calling to MTNL landline, dolphin, garuda and trump. The network is not very good. but it is manageable and the plan is fantastic. I save a lot by recharging every month using this 399 and plus I recharge a additional 100 bucks, but I save a lot. previously I had Vodafone and hardly used to get network at home and the bills used to above 1000. so now I am paying less and can spk unlimited to mtnl customers.

I don't have to worry when calling my home landline or my father's cell which is also dolphin and dont have to worry abut calling my girlfriend coz I have taken her also the same card and we talk unlimited using prepaid. I dont this think there is prepaid unlimited calling in any other service plan from any other network. this is very very very good.

I don't have the words to express my joy of using this service.

I had used dolphin for 3 years and faced few problems within the sapn of time. even they got rectified and every company faces such kind of problems. I just ignored. after 3 years of usage.

I started facing the problems of network connectivity, I was not able to receive any call and dial any call. each time the call was been dropped. I complained several times and got no response. I did it many times. then I decided to leave it.

I chose Idea - a big mistake, very big mistake. no doubt of price & network. but the dealer they have is a great "donkey". from the first day I faced the problem of connection. on the same ID I purchased Airtel, Vodafone, Hutch, MTNL connections, but Idea refuses to accept these proofs and wants proof of only Nationalized Bank ID proof. (what a system!) Finally I purchased Vodafone and it is working fine.

I used Dolphin's International roaming services(I doubt any WORKING PROFESSIONAL has used it so far for Business trips) but the coverage was excellent in EUROPE(FR: Orange/Bouygyes/SFR) and in THAILAND(DTAC). No surprises with billing. Very clear billing and conforming to the tarif announced. They have large number of partners.

They could definitely do better in this area if they sell a package bundled MTNL landline+ cell phones to corporates. They charge very less security deposit(4000 INR) and low rental for intl roaming(INR 60 / month).

The call center too is efficient enough. They should improve distribution and sales points. Every MTNL exchange should be able to sell and treat ALL kind of queries and services be it landline/ mobile / billing/ value added services – roaming etc.  Telephone exchange staff could be better if trained, educated correctly on the products they sell.

BRAVO MTNL! Sahi hai!

Dolphin is great. My mom & dad used Dolphin from a long time.At that time I thought  why do people like it ???

I was a loyal Hutch user for 3 years(Using Hutch & not Vodafone coz I hate it now). I liked it then the network was good , the call rates weren't bad too. But when Hutch turned into Vodafone within a week  the network started jamming(a thing that I had never ever saw when I was using Hutch & now the situation is even worse . One day I thought enough is enough I went & got a Dolphin prepaid card (Trump) for myself & guess what the service is rocking.

I'm using it for around six months now & I don't regret my decision at all. Yes I agree that their are call drops but those things are much less in dolphin as compared to Vodafone.And with the ever dropping call rates those people sure know how to keep their customers happy.

Thank you so much for reading this review & if u r bored wid ur service provider do think of switching to dolphin.

*TRUMP kinda rocks .

*Yeah . just kinda . It doesn't deserve to be called the best . nor the worst. I have used trump back in 2005 and using it  was a struggle - the network was bad, customercare was hopeless and congestion, rampant! There was no good reason to be a Trump user unless you were on a stingy budget - say a college student who needed to splurge on SMS n stuff - VAS like GPRS n caller tunes were unknown then. I have always been a vodafone loyalist (err . rather Orange and Hutch loyalist - now, I hate vodafone!) When Vodafone took over Hutch, I was expecting a rather plush service to my cellphone. Great network, great VAS n stuff, Sadly, I was mistaken. The apathy of having to scream to your caller on your cellphone when you are in the range of 13 signal towers(at DADAR which is supposed to be the centralised, to face call swooo.shhh.shhing, intermittent disconnections, taking helluva time for activation/deactivation of VAS is simply too much! Inshort, Vodafone well deserves to be sent to hell. And so I did - I screamed at them and told them enough was enough and well, I did swear never to go back to Hutch err. Vodafone ever again.

BPL Mobile offers some weird tariffs and I have always been wary of using Airtel - they deduct your money for nothing - besides they'll tell its free and deduct money . What a great way to rub salt on the wounds . The only option remaining was Trump. Decided to go ahead with it and bought a pack at the MTNL Prabhadevi Exchange.

Sim Cost: Rs.150   Talktime included: Rs.53   Initial Validity: 10 days.

Number series: 99697xxxxx

I was assured that my connection, having submitted the documents, would start the same evening. And it did! Triumph!

>>>> A tip : A card bought from local mobile dealers(non mtnl) takes atleast 2 days to get activated, so do get it from the MTNL office. That saves time:)

The network has improved by leaps and bounds.  At all places, I have got a wonderful network without any of the problems that I faced with Vodafone. It has worked out to be cheap too. **Local call charges of 90 paise to the Dolphin Network, Rs.1.50 paise to other local networks and landlines, MaharashtraGoa network calls at Rs.1.75 and STD charges of Rs.2 are just great. SMS comes in cheap at 50paise for local, 1.50rs for national and 4rs for international.

Besides having a great local network, roaming with elder bro BSNL is fun. You simply can't be not connected(Although it does take repeated attempts to get through at times). Roaming charges are inexpensive and good enough for the average customer.

*Dolphin Jeevan Saathi(typical of goverment's indianised scheme names - I wonder why Dolphin is not called "Machhli" . lol.) offers life-time incoming service at Rs.449 with calling rates en-par the regular service class tariffs.

Talktimes available on vouchers are **really great. A Rs.330 voucher gives a talktime of Rs.268 - valid for 30 days with no change in calling rates. Now that's supercool. Topup coupons of Rs.100/Rs.300/Rs.500 give talktimes of Rs.109/Rs.334/Rs.556 with no validity. Yet another voucher offers Rs.3500 on a Rs.2200 card. yeah u've read it right!

This one is valid for 30 days, yet a lifetime customer could reap the benefits over a longer period of time.

Promotional tariffs/offers are almost non-existent. A "Dhamaka" voucher for Rs.51 gives local MTNL cellular calls at 30 paise while reducing other local call charges to Re.1 rather than Rs.1.50. Another voucher of Rs.399/month offers unlimited calling on the MTNL Network(if calls do get through . hehe . well, mostly they will . touchwood . lol)!

MTNL Mumbai has introduced GPRS facility for its customers only on the Salsette Island. That means you can use GPRS between Colaba to Bhayander/Thane/Mankhurd ONLY.

Customers staying in Dombivli/Kalyan/Navi Mumbai have to relinquish their right to expensive web browsing(2 paise per kb) since the network in these areas doesn't support GPRS.

Discrimination & sheer Indifference ! MMS costs Rs.3/mms(size unknown.)

I haven't used GPRS so can't comment as to how good it is.

Caller Tunes are well on its way, if the customer care is to be believed, say, in a couple of months the trrring trrring should be passe(optional) .

MTNL deserves a pat and a whack - at the same time! Whilst some things are really good. viz. the improved network, fantastic talktimes, very less congestion and superior voice quality.

MTNL, I pat thee .

Now for some well deserved spanks!

*Prepaid to postpaid conversion is a mess!

MTNL takes pride in being the only operator which doesn't promote prepaid to postpaid conversions. Their belief - its a waste of time. Thats what I experienced at the MTNL office the other day. Upon asking for conversion procedures, I was told, in a rather bored tone about the same. Further I got to know, conversion to the same would take 7 - 8 months since MTNL was offering conversion for its 9869 series at the moment and my number was a 9969 series. That is sooooo lame!

Seriously, so lame! Airtel/Vodafone keep offering me conversions within a day. Bureaucratic setups . phew!

All in all, I am happy with the service. Even though I have no problems being connected, I do maintain a cautious approach and put my phone on the highest possible pedestal ever - should it grumble about the non availability of network signals and deprive me of a well deserved call. lol . I also give my number a ring from other phones just to check the connectivity. Tips!;)

Now that I am done reviewing and hope that you've read this piece, do not forget to leave behind a comment or two - i'll appreciate your efforts :) hehe .

To Begin with I m using Dolphin Trumph Prepaid card for last Few days before swtiching I was loyal customer of Orange , I mention this word Loyal since I was using Hutch religiously for last 4 years .

but for last few months I started noticing network Failure and several other problems

Rather than critising Hutch or an other service I would like to share my experienced :

Advantages , + Points :-

1)  Better Network coverage (even to remotest area )

2) Uninterrupted conversation

3) Helpline numbers are quite efficient and effective in providing efficient information

best thing is less waiting time when u call Customer care .

4) Affordable and cost Effective compared to pther mobile.

( an small example of indicating cost effectiveness :

Hutch :

55 Rs -- Double gupshup offer ( 30 Paise H2H and other mobile 1 Re)

25 Rs -- SMS any Local mobile  @ 75 paise

----------

80 Rs  -- Basic Offer on prepaid (Local) + ur usage charges

Dolphin Trumph Prepaid

51 Rs -- Dhamaka Offer ( 30 paise to Dolphin to Dolphin and other mobile 1 Re)

0         --  SMS any local mobile 50 Paise

---------

51 Rs -- You get basic offer + ur usage charges

(Above are only Tariff rate of promotional schemes , additional cost depends on our usage)

So you can make out the difference

*Disadvantages , - Points :-

*1) Less Promotional offer compared to other network .(but won't matter since u can choose only 2 promotional scheme in prepaid card of other network )

2) Charges 2 paise for per Kb for GPRS whereas other providers charge 1 paise per Kb

So you can see Advantages far exceed its disadvantages so I would Recommend this Product if you wish to buy prepaid card .

I am using Dolphin for more than 3 years. That is more than 36 months. And I must say that it is excellent. I never face a problem of network connectivity. Their customer service is pretty good. They provide online as well as telephonic support with excellent user friendly environment. Their charges and billings are affordable and cheaper than any other Cellular Service Providers.

Roaming is totally free for Maharashtra and Goa. So, if I am a user in Mumbai and I visited Pune and I call in Pune, it is considered as a local call. Its really great and excellent. I always advice my friends to go for Dolphin. What more, they also provide net facility. You just need to do settings and help for the same is available there online as well as offline. Few of my friends have migrated from other cellular services to Dolphin Trump and they are also very happy and satisfied customers.

I have been using the dolphin since last 2 years.

Every one says that dolphin has very bad network but comparatively it is not as bad as it is said.

But in terms of charges dolphin is the least expensive for call charges & SMS charges,

if you compared with other expensive service provider whose charges are almost double then

dolphin.Also the STD call rates are less in dolphin. Even the GPRS activation is also free of cost on

dolphin, where as others are charging so much on that.

Some time(rarely) it does give problem but that is the case with all the celluler services.

If you can compromise a bit I said a liittle bit & save lot of your money then u should always go for

dolphin.

I had been in receipt of a communication from MTNL besides visit of their officials who agreed that there is practically no signal at that place and the letter confirmed that it would take another three months to get one generator installed at their booster site. This letter is dated back 4 months. The main question is why the consumer should suffer because of their in efficiency( asking three months to install generator and then 4 months have passed peacefully).

I had been in receipt of a communication from MTNL besides visit of their officials who agreed that there is practically no signal at that place and the letter confirmed that it would take another three months to get one generator installed at their booster site. This letter is dated back 4 months. The main question is why the consumer should suffer because of their in efficiency( asking three months to install generator and then 4 months have passed peacefully).