Which is better?
I’m not here to bore you with a comparison of Vodafone and Airtel's user base numbers, signal strengths, number of towers, or even the finer points like latency, bandwidth, customer support efficiency, or cost per GB. I’m also not diving into any deep technical metrics like download speeds, ping rates, or how many milliseconds it takes to load a YouTube video. Nope, none of that.
This is a no-nonsense, straight-from-the-user experience—a perspective from someone who’s been on both sides of the network battlefield. As someone who has loyally endured Vodafone’s quirks and switched over to Airtel, this is my story.
For years, I was a loyal customer of Vodafone, now rebranded as Vodafone Idea, or simply "Vi". In fact, I was on their exclusive Corporate RedX plan, available only to corporate employees.
It was a pretty sweet deal, offering not just solid 4G connectivity with unlimited data and calls, but a bunch of cool add-ons like free Amazon Prime, Netflix, Sony Liv and Disney+ Hotstar memberships, to name a few.
Life was great, especially when I was living in Mumbai and Pune, where seamless mobile connectivity was crucial for everything, from our daily service requirements to the apps and games we were developing. What more could I ask for?
And then I moved back to Mizoram in 2019, and that’s when Vodafone’s “legendary” network slapped me right in the face.
From the moment you land at Lengpui Airport, you’re greeted with... zero signal. No bars, nothing. Forget about texting your family to let them know you’ve arrived safely, or calling the cab driver to say you’re waiting outside the arrivals gate? Nope, not happening. Instead, I play a fun game of “Guess Who My Driver Is,” which has, on more than one occasion, ended with me awkwardly apologising to a stranger.
Flying out of Mizoram is no better. I have to send out all my farewell WhatsApp messages on my way to the airport before reaching RV or Phunchawng, because beyond that, there is no signal. And pulling up my e-ticket attachment at the airport? Yeah, right. I’ve learned to always download it before leaving home, just to avoid staring blankly at my phone at the terminal gate.
And this isn’t just at the airport. Any trip outside Aizawl, and boom—Vodafone goes AWOL again. Like when we ventured to Dampa Wildlife Sanctuary, or the time we explored the protected areas of Murlen and Vapar in Champhai district, my phone was about as useful as a brick. Fortunately, my friends who were using Jio and Airtel were kind enough to hotspot me the entire trip. I was practically their Wi-Fi parasite.
Even within Aizawl, there are pockets where Vodafone’s network decides to take a little nap. And don’t even get me started on my farm. It’s like my SIM card forgot it had a job to do.
So, why did I put up with this nonsense for so long, you ask?
Well, when I returned to Mizoram in 2019, there was the CoVid outbreak. For more than a year, I wasn’t moving around much and I was getting a good signal at my house.
Then, in 2021, I moved to my farm permanently to become a farmer—where I had absolutely zero signal. Vodafone had completely abandoned me in the wild.
Luckily, I had a Zipro broadband connection to keep me tethered to the outside world. But when my broadband internet went down (as it often did), I had no way to report the issue—because, surprise surprise, no phone signal! It felt like I was suddenly transported back to the Stone Age.
It wasn’t until 2022 when I started working in the corporate world again (remotely from my farm) that things started getting really really worse.
Imagine this: my broadband goes down, and I’ve got an important client pitch or presentation. What do I do? I run, literally RUN, a mile up the hill of my farm where there’s a flicker of signal, and conduct my presentation from the hilltop like some kind of network-hunting nomad.
Sumeet too would laugh every time I had to do that, but then, what to do, it was the only option I had.
I still can’t believe I had willingly put up with all this BS for years while shelling out ₹1,200 a month on a non-existent service.
It finally clicked for me when I started reading those marital advice columns or Mizo FB groups like NUPA Nun (yes, we single bachelors do occasionally lurk there). Turns out, being stuck in a bad network relationship is a lot like being in an abusive one—you know it’s bad, but you just can’t seem to end it.
Years of commitment aren’t easy to walk away from, even when it’s terrible. I think I developed a little Stockholm syndrome for Vodafone!
Finally, a couple of months ago, I said enough is enough and decided to put my foot down and end it all. It was time to file for divorce.
Enter my friend Hminga, Airtel's official partner in Mizoram. I told him about my problems, and he didn’t waste time—"Bro, just come down to Aizawl," he said. And so I took a leave from work and travelled to his mansion in the city. Within minutes, his agent showed up, filled out a short form, took my photograph, and scanned my fingerprint. And just like that, I was an Airtel customer!
Well, almost. Since I had ported my number, I had to wait for my Vodafone billing cycle to end first.
Those two weeks dragged on forever—probably because I was counting the minutes until I could switch. The most fun part of that waiting period? The endless calls from Vodafone agents asking me for the millionth time why I was leaving them. Some of you ladies with an overly persistent and obsessive ex-boyfriend might relate to this. :P
Finally, D-Day arrived. At the stroke of the midnight hour, while Mizoram slept, I awoke to life and freedom, as I ceremoniously removed my Vodafone SIM and popped in my shiny new Airtel SIM,
Aand just like that—voilà!—I was officially an Airtel subscriber!
The difference was instant. My phone went ding ding ding with push notifications from all my social accounts immediately, and I wasn’t even connected to my broadband Wi-Fi. What a difference indeed!
And the best part? Now, whenever my Zipro broadband is down, I can actually report it right away!
You might be thinking, "What difference does it make if I report it or not? What's so important about it that I keep mentioning it?" Well, a lot actually!
You see, I live on a secluded farm, surrounded by jungle on a distant hilltop. There can be plenty of reasons why my broadband is down. Sometimes, it’s a broken fibre line—nothing I can do but wait for them to fix it. But other times, it’s something that can be sorted out instantly, like the relay station sending my signal being switched off, or my antenna’s receptor acting up, or even something as simple as a low inverter battery at their sectorial office.
That’s why it’s crucial for me to inform them ASAP—so they can tackle those quick fixes and get me back online without too much downtime. I understand, for those of you living in the city, this might not make much sense as it’s not something you deal with. But out here on the farm, it’s just part of the lifestyle.
Now, with Airtel, I’m back in business. No more scrambling for signal, and my professional work life is so much more productive today.
Just a quick heads-up though. If you're also planning to port your number to a different network, you’ll need to link your phone number with your UPI accounts again, even though it's the same number—because it’s now on a different network. But regular net banking and OTP verifications aren’t affected, so no worries there!
So there you have it. After years of frustration, missed calls, missed invitations, missed seeing my friends' WA statuses, and awkward airport moments, I’ve finally made the switch—and I’m not looking back. Airtel has brought me the peace of mind that Vodafone never could. Now, whether I’m at my farm or travelling around Mizoram, I can stay connected without any of the stress.
It’s crazy how much better life gets when you don’t have to climb a hill just to send a WhatsApp message or an email. So if you’re still stuck with a network that treats you like a distant relative, take it from me—there’s a better way. Make the switch and enjoy the sweet sound of notifications without relying on your broadband.
Cheers to a more connected life—wherever you may be!
[PS. This blog post is not an ad for Airtel. Trust me, I’d be writing the same thing if the roles were reversed. This is purely based on my experience here in Mizoram. I know Vi has excellent coverage in tier-1 cities—after all, I was a loyal customer for over a decade.]
