To counter the plans showcased by Jio, the new entrant which is looking to poach customers of rival networks, second largest telecom operator Vodafone India is all set to launch exclusive 'Flex' postpaid to offer greater value for money service for prepaid customers across all circles.
The British telecom giant's Indian unit has plans to launch 'Flex' in a hope to keep existing prepaid customers bound on their network. This move was quite expected as Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani announced free voice calls to any customers on their 4G network - Jio absolutely free.
Vodafone which is set to cross 200 million customers and may see Jio's free voice calls as a threat as the company is charging premium for voice calls and ratecutters on their network than other networks. With the new Flex plan, the company followed in Jio's footsteps to offer all-in-one pack based on customer usage pattern at relatively lower cost than red postpaid plans. Also, it is believed that the company will add roaming and SMS benefits in this pack so customers can enjoy all services by paying one umbrella charge.
Prepaid customers who spend more than 200 can easily switch to Flex which starts from a rental of Rs 199 and offers 4 free packs of the customer's choice which can be data, call or SMS. Customer can also add extra Flex benefits at Rs 25 per additional Flex pack. This is similar to Vodafone Red plans but designed for those customers who are paying Rs 200 -350 a month.
| Details of Vodafone 'Flex' Postpaid | ||
| Rental | Rs 199 | |
| Free Packs | 4 | |
| Extra Pack Charges | Rs 25 | |
|
Flex Pack Benefits ( Customers can choose 4 packs at zero cost ) | Onnet Voice Pack | 100 Vodafone Minutes |
| Offnet Voice Pack | 90 Local Minutes | |
| STD Voice Pack | 80 National Minutes | |
| SMS Pack | 200 SMS | |
| Data Pack (3G/4G/2G) | 200 MB | |
So, if you're paying Rs. 250 for 1 GB of data and Rs 50 to get reduced calling rates and spend another Rs 100 for 300 voice minutes; You can get the same benefits at around Rs 300 instead of Rs 400 which will save your usage cost by upto 25%.
Extra on Flex :
- Better Service
- Data Carry Forward
- Easy Flex Management through website or app.
- Usage details
Benefits on Flex :
- No need to recharge separately for Data Packs, Rate cutters and Top Up
- Pay for what you need
- Extra packs at relatively lower cost
- Savings up to 25%
The new Flex pack will also boost the revenue for the company as it is like low cost postpaid offering which will generate a regular ARPU. Earlier the company tried something similar to get more usage and revenue with Vodafone U packs which wasn't much of a success on account of higher pricing. But this new Flex plan may prove to be the cheapest postpaid like solution, both customers and the company may get benefited.
Dear readers, do you think this move by Vodafone would help them to keep their existing prepaid customers bound to the network? share your thoughts on this through comments.
