Vodafone finally launches flat-rate data offers

Rating: serious strings attached

By Annie Turner

At long, long last Vodafone UK has announced its flat data rate tariffs, which will be available from Friday. Further announcements about its mobile Internet strategy are due later this month.

The £7.50 per month tariff is only available to Vodafone’s contract customers and covers 120Mb of data usage. If this level is exceeded, customers will be charged a standard rate of £1 per day. It is not supporting Instant Messaging or Voice over IP (VoIP) and has said that it could waive the flat rate if these services are used.

This looks mean compared with other offerings, such as  T-Mobile's basic Web'n'Walk mobile-Internet package, which also costs at £7.50 for up to 1Gb.

The trouble is that T-Mobile made a mess of its marketing for web ‘n’ walk as well as having a low ARPU, so arguably its users are not the prime candidates for data usage.

The Vodafone UK offer is late and has some limitations, but it will do much to further the cause of flat data rates, being the UK’s biggest operator. But. Vodafone is keen to emphasise that the timing has been carefully orchestrated to complement its other Internet strategy announcements (of which there is a detailed, preview analysis in the June issue of Mobile Search Analyst at www.bkimedia.com). Vodafone has not relinquished its idea of controlling its customers’ Internet usage, just  expanded its horizons.