Vodafone Group Plc
14 March 2007
14 March 2007
VODAFONE ANNOUNCES NEW FLAT-RATE DATA ROAMING TARIFF
Vodafone continues to lead the mobile industry in reducing the cost of roaming
in Europe
Vodafone announces today that customers in Europe will be able to surf the
internet, check e-mail and access their business network when roaming abroad for
a flat rate fee of only €12 for every day of use. The tariff will be available
to Vodafone customers with mobile-enabled laptops from 1 July 2007 and will
significantly lower the cost of data roaming for business customers and
consumers alike.
This move is the latest development in Vodafone's drive to simplify roaming
prices, making them more predictable and understandable for customers. The
initiative draws upon two years' experience of the voice roaming tariff -
Vodafone Passport - which has already attracted over 12m customers. Following
the introduction of daily data tariffs in a number of Vodafone markets last
year, Vodafone is now seeking to extend these benefits to customers throughout
Europe who wish to use their laptops when travelling.
Besides the clear consumer advantages of reducing prices, Vodafone is continuing
to invest in its networks to ensure customers also benefit from rapidly
escalating data access speeds. Building on the strong platform of 3G, Vodafone
has recently been rolling out faster technologies, such as HSDPA, which is now
available in 11 European markets.
Commenting on the new tariff, Arun Sarin, Chief Executive, Vodafone, said:
'Following the success of our Passport service, which has made it cheaper and
simpler to call home over the past two years, we are now applying the same
principles of value and simplicity for customers who need to access their
corporate intranets, business e-mail or surf the web when they are abroad.
'With high speed 3G networks already deployed in many European markets, ongoing
investment in new technologies to increase download speeds and clear, effective
tariffs, Vodafone should be the network of choice for those seeking to use their
laptops when travelling.'
Tariff details
The new tariff replaces complex 'per Megabyte' tariffs with a simple flat fee
for practically unlimited data usage. The daily tariff enables Vodafone
customers to send or receive data at ease within a 24 hour period or one
calendar day (depending on the Vodafone market) for a fixed fee of €12
(excluding VAT). The fixed fee covers consumption within either a 24 hour period
or a calendar day, up to 50 MB of data, after which the customer's standard
per-megabyte rate applies.
Vodafone will launch the tariff across the majority of its European footprint,
including its principal European markets, on 1 July. It will be introduced into
the remaining European markets soon thereafter.
As with Vodafone Passport there is no activation charge for opting into the
daily roaming tariff.
The €12 (excluding VAT) flat rate tariff is applicable when a Vodafone customer
is roaming on Vodafone subsidiary networks in Europe. Should a customer roam
onto another network then standard per megabyte charging will apply.
Wholesale data rates
Vodafone also announces that from 1 July 2007 it will enter into reciprocal
wholesale arrangements with any other European operator or operator Groups at a
new lower wholesale rate for data roaming. In doing so, Vodafone is seeking to
lower its own costs and increase overall activity in the data roaming market
within the European Union. Vodafone expects this initiative to result in
significantly lower data roaming costs for customers of both Vodafone and its
competitors.
The new rates that Vodafone will offer other network operators are as follows:
* for small sessions of up to a maximum of 200 Kb of data, the charge
will be a maximum of €0.50
* for sessions above 200 Kb, the rate will be €0.50 per Mb.
- ends -
For further information:
Vodafone Group
Investor Relations Media Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 664447 Tel: +44 (0) 1635 664444
Notes to Editors
About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications group with
operations in 25 countries across five continents and over 200 million
proportionate customers by the end of January 2007, as well as 36 partner
networks. For further information, please visit www.vodafone.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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