Vodafone has taken the first step in countering criticism for the Per Mb rates it charges to customers who make use of data connections abroad. The new initiative commences from July, here's the full release;
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 12EUR 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, CEO of 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 12EUR (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 12EUR (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:
- <LI nd="13">for small sessions of up to a maximum of 200 Kb of data, the charge will be a maximum of 0.50EUR
- for sessions above 200 Kb, the rate will be 0.50EUR per Mb.
Mobile Data Roaming Charges 
