Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL), the third-largest telecom operator, recently brought unlimited data prepaid plans for customers. This is 4G data, unlike Jio and Airtel that are offering unlimited 5G. However, with decent 4G coverage and capacity, unlimited 4G is not a bad deal for Indian consumers. Vi's unlimited 4G data offer is currently restricted to a few circles. The telecom operator might expand it to other circles after testing the waters in the first few. At present, the offer is visible for Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and select other circles. If you want to understand more about the offer, refer to the link below.
Read Here - Vodafone Idea Brings Truly Unlimited Data Prepaid Recharge Plans
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have been cornering the premium customers by offering unlimited 5G to users. Since Vi hasn't been able to launch it yet, the telecom operator is looking to offer unlimited 4G to users. 5G would require a lot of money to be spent on capex. While Vi's priority is 4G at the moment, the telecom operator is also looking to roll out 5G in the near future. For 5G, Vi would have a more tactical strategy than the other two operators. A limited launch in the top cities where Vi has most potential to earn from customers will be executed.
Unlimited 4G data plans are a good strategy by Vi to retain the 4G customers. At the same time, this would enable the telecom operator to add in more customers. At the day's end, it is not as much about ARPU (average revenue per user) as much as it is about how many customers a company added. The classic example of this is Reliance Jio. While its plans are cheaper than competition on average, its revenues are the largest in the industry.
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Vodafone Idea needs to add 4G customers to win the trust of promoters and investors. The telco has been able to successfully raise funds and is also using it to scale the 4G presence. The recent decision announced by the telecom department to let go of the need to furnish bank guarantees for spectrum auctions since 2012 was also a boon for the industry, benefitting Vi the most. An aggressive strategy by Vi to add customers of the competitors by offering unlimited 4G could turn the fortunes for the company.
