I've spent years understanding how ISPs market their services and — more importantly — what they strategically avoid telling potential customers. Here's the truth: most broadband advertisements in India are designed to dazzle you with headline speed numbers while hiding the details that actually determine your real-world experience. These are the questions you should be asking every provider before you let them run a cable to your home or office.
1. What is your network contention ratio?
This is the most important technical question, and most sales representatives won't know the answer off the top of their head. The contention ratio tells you how many subscribers share the same upstream bandwidth. A 1:50 ratio means 50 homes share one link — acceptable. A 1:200 ratio is a red flag. If the rep can't or won't answer this, that's an answer in itself.
2. What speed will I get during peak hours?
Not "what is the maximum speed" — ask specifically about 8–11 PM on a weeknight. If they say "up to" your plan speed, push for actual measured data. Any serious ISP should be able to share average peak-hour throughput statistics for your area.
3. What are your SLA terms for restoration?
When the internet goes down — and it will at some point — how fast will they fix it? Get a specific answer in hours, not "as soon as possible." Anything beyond 8 hours for a residential connection or 4 hours for a business connection is worth questioning. Ask what compensation they offer for extended outages.
4. Is the speed symmetric?
Ask specifically: "Is the upload speed the same as the download speed?" For fiber plans, the answer should be yes. For cable-based plans, the upload is almost always significantly slower. Know what you're getting.
5. Do you throttle or shape any traffic?
A legally compliant ISP will never admit to selective throttling (because it's a net neutrality violation), but the question is still worth asking directly. Watch how they answer — vague non-answers like "we manage our network to ensure quality" are worth probing further.
6. What is included in the installation fee?
Some ISPs charge for a router, some provide one free, and some charge a one-time installation fee on top of the plan. Get itemised details in writing before installation day, or you may face unexpected charges.
7. Can I talk to your support team right now?
Before signing up, call the customer support number. Note how long you're on hold, how the representative handles your questions, and whether they actually resolve your query. Your post-sale experience is entirely dependent on this team — and a 30-minute pre-sale call is the fastest way to predict it.