Vodafone bundles mobile web as standard
01 May 2008
Vodafone bundles mobile web as standard
UK mobile operator Vodafone is pushing to make the internet an everyday part of the mobile experience by integrating web access with all of its standard postpay tariffs.
The move means that pay monthly customers will no longer need to buy an additional internet bundle for £7.50 because every price plan will automatically include internet access.
The eligible tariffs start at £25, with customers who select a £40 or higher price plan also able to choose from unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls or unlimited on network calls for the first time.
Vodafone said the move was initiated by the presence of sites such as Facebook, Bebo, YouTube and eBay at the top of the popularity charts on Vodafone's mobile internet service.
The integrated web usage will be subject to a fair usage policy of 500MB per month, which goes some way to making up for the previously extortionate charges of £7.50 for 120MB. Although Voda reckons users can browse 50 web pages for 1MB, which seems a little optimistic unless those 50 pages are all Google's homepage. Then again, the Big V does use a web proxy system from Novarra which compresses each and every web page for viewing on the mobile.
Meanwhile, rival operator 3 UK, which this week dropped the price of its own prepay 3G dongles to stimulate uptake among the mass market, has filed a complaint with the UK's advertising watchdog over Voda's mobile internet claims.
3 claims that Vodafone's promotional material, promising mobile web speeds of up to 7.2Mbps is misleading. In its own marketing material, 3 advises customers to expect speeds of up to 2.8Mbps.
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