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Data Battle Intensifies As Vodafone Cuts 4G & 3G Data Rates

The cut throat competition between major telecom players in the country has led to huge price cut in the data offers. Vodafone India on Monday slashed effective data rates of its 4G, 3G big internet packs for pre-paid customers offering upto 67 percent more benefits for the same price.

The country’s second largest telco said this additional value will enable customers to enjoy their mobile internet experience further by staying online longer and accessing more content.

Vodafone, in a statement, said that the move will make the Internet more affordable for customers who use mobile internet in a limited way and encourage first time users to come online.

“We are democratizing data by making it more affordable and accessible. This is key to driving usage and encouraging first time users to come online. We are confident that this move of offering up to 67 percent additional data benefit on select pre-paid packs, will facilitate in faster adoption of data and its better usage,” ET report quoted Sandeep Kataria, Director-Commercial, Vodafone India as saying.

Also Read: Idea Announces More Data On 4G, 3G Big Internet Packs

The move has come after rivals its major competitors, Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular drastically reduced the prices in order to retain its existing customers on the sidelines of the launch of Reliance Jio Infocomm’s 4G launch which is expected around a month’s time.

Industry analysts note that telcos aren’t reducing rates directly, but offering more bang for the buck, a strategy which will help them protect their crucial average revenue per user (ARPU) but at the same time, make their offers more attractive for users.

Under the revised data benefits, the 3GB 3G/4G monthly recharge pack which was earlier priced at around Rs 650 will now offer 5 GB data, an increase of 67 percent data quota. Similarly, the Rs 449 3G/4G pack now offers 50 percent more data by increasing the data benefit to 3 GB from 2 GB. The Rs 999 3G/4G pack will now offer 10 GB data, offering 54 percent more benefits.

The Rs 39 2G sachet pack with 5-day validity now offers 225MB data vs 160 MB, an increase of 41 percent, while the Rs 12 3G/4G sachet pack with 1-day validity now offers 50 MB data vs 30MB, an increase of 67 percent. The pack prices are indicative and may vary from circle to circle, the company said.

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