25 Years Ago, 9.6 Kbps Connection Was Rs 5,000 When Internet Began In India
It was on August 15, 1995, when Internet services officially began in India for average public.
As India celebrates its Independence Day on August 15, marking its 73rd year as an independent nation, another special milestone takes place on the occasion this year. It is the day when Internet services first began in India.
The Indian Techonomist / Mumbai Heritage Twitter
August 15 marks the beginning of India's Internet journey, which now has an estimated 70 crore Indians as its part. On August 15, 1995, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) formally launched public Internet service in India.
This year would thus mark the silver jubilee of Internet services in India. And if you look at the initial VSNL rate card pictured above (sourced from Mumbai Heritage and The Indian Techonomist), it will give you some idea on just how expensive Internet access was 25 years ago.
For a measly 9.6 kbps dial-up connection (over a landline phone connection), the annual charge for an individual was Rs 5,000. For non-commercial users, it climbed up to Rs 15,000 for the same 9.6 kbps speed, and the price was even higher for commercial users and exporters.
If you found the 9.6 kbps phone VSNL Internet connection too slow, you had an option of getting a "leased line" from VSNL (a precursor to the modern broadband we enjoy today), where 9.6 kbps connection rate started at Rs 2.4 lakh per year and went all the way up to Rs 30 lakh for a blazingly fast 128 kbps connection speed.
The 25-year Indian Internet journey
(Representative Image: Reuters)
With life in the modern era revolving much around gadgets and gizmos, all powered by the Internet in some way or the other, it is easy to forget the roots of such an omnipresent service. But the truth remains that Internet access to the public in India did not have a smooth start.
Gateway Internet Access Service or GIAS was started by the state-owned VSNL on August 15 1995, with the help of a satellite link with the US telecom giant MCI International. At the time, the service was launched in select cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
A report by News18 explains that the official launch of the Internet was not an initial success. As per the report, it was marred by an underestimation of the hidden demand of the Internet in the country as well as hardware and software issues. Eventually, VSNL managed to scale it up to a total of 10,000 users across the nation in just under six months.
The Internet of 90s
(Representative Image: Reuters)
The GIAS service by VSNL offered two types of Internet connection based on the type of users. It distinguished them as ¡®shell¡¯ and ¡®transmission¡¯ controlled accounts, mentions a 1995 report by India Today.
The former aimed to serve individuals and students with a nominal tariff plan. Such accounts provided ¡°text and text-related information on screen but not graphics or images.¡± Users could download graphic files onto their computers though.
Transmission-controlled account allowed a simultaneous viewing of both text as well as graphics and images without the need to download the files.
The annual tariff set by VSNL at the time was based on the type of plan one selected. The range started from Rs 500 for students (started later in December that year) to Rs 5,000 for individuals and up to Rs 25,000 for commercial users. Further Internet lines could also be leased, costing between Rs 60,000 and Rs 25 lakh.
As for the Internet speed, the report highlights that each the three 64 kilobytes-per-second lines acquired by VSNL could get the user ¡°about 150 words of plain text per second.¡±
Too little for today? Of course, but if it hadn¡¯t been for these seemingly sluggish Internet speeds, India might not have seen the digital revolution that enables you to read this on your device.
