Pre-Jio Data Plans Were Actually Cheap – Here’s Proof

I remember someone ranting about how expensive data was before Jio, but honestly, it wasn’t that bad if you knew the right jugaad. Here’s proof—back in the day, I used to get speeds up to 3 Mbps with a pretty cheap setup. My Setup: 1. Tata Docomo Dongle (Carrier Locked) – Bought around 2010-11, this dongle was postpaid, carrier-locked, and even had a memory card slot to double as a card reader. It also had an antenna pin for better reception. Initially, I got high bills with slow speeds, but in 2011 I flashed a custom firmware to unlock it and it worked like a charm. 2. Reliance Flexicharge Voucher – This ₹9 voucher was a goldmine. It offered 2G unlimited data for a week but with a simple trick you could force 3G speeds—though the validity dropped to just one day. Still, I used to download unlimited YouTube videos at speeds of up to 2 Mbps. This was around 2015. Other telecom companies had similar hacks—unlimited night data, long-validity packs, or speed tricks that many of us used. Anyone else remember these dongles and recharge hacks? What was your jugaad back then? Found this while digging through old stuff, and damn, this is pure nostalgia. We’ve come a long way in tech!