Vodafone India has started offering an unlimited local calling to any network in the Mumbai and Maharashtra circles with data benefits at Rs 297. With this new offer, Vodafone is trying to ape Bharti Airtel, which recently rolled out a similar offering for its prepaid customers across Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi.
Vodafone’s new pack is applicable to a few prepaid customers and could be available as a limited time offer. The new offer provides 3GB of 3G/4G data along with free Mumbai to Mumbai or Mumbai to Maharashtra and Goa local voice calls.
The entry of Reliance Jio has intensified competition in the country. The 4G entrant is offering free services in a bid to quickly poach new users from rival telcos like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. In a bid to ring fence their respective customers, all top telcos along with smaller GSM players have started offering cheaper data rates as well as free voice offerings in the country.
Vodafone India recently announced free incoming calls while roaming nationally for its customers. The free incoming roaming offer followed the launch of 'All in One' roaming pack for Vodafone’s pre-paid customers in September.
Vodafone’s 'All in One' pack incorporates local talk time, STD, incoming and outgoing roaming minutes in a single recharge, exclusively for Vodafone pre-paid customers in Delhi and NCR circle.
Vodafone India, the country’s second-largest telecom operator, recently said that it will aggressively invest in its networks in the next one year. The telco, which splurged maximum amount for acquiring new spectrum in the recent spectrum auction to increase 4G footprints, said that data is next big business opportunity.
The telco will double its network rollout target this year together with partner Nokia. Vodafone India paid the most in the recent spectrum auctions, acquiring airwaves across the 1800, 2100 and 2500 MHz bands in all its key telecom circles for Rs 20,280 crore, of which it recently paid Rs 10,100 crores to the government as upfront payment.
Also read: To counter Jio, Airtel starts offering unlimited voice calling along with 3GB 3G/4G data at Rs. 298
The company’s parent Vodafone UK had also pumped in Rs 47,700 crore of fresh equity to clean up the Indian arm’s balance sheet, fund the business expansion and spectrum purchases.
Note: Do cross check with CC before opting the plan. Thanks to Naresh Soneji ( TT reader from Mumbai ) for the tip.
