Vodafone slashes data rates by 80%

India's second largest telecom operator, Vodafone India today said that it slashed its mobile internet rates by 80%, across the country. The operator claims its effective rate is 2 paisa per KB of download from its earlier rate of 10 paisa per KB.

This is common across 2G and 3G data usage, and will become effective from tomorrow, for both pre-paid and pre-paid customers.

“This 80% reduction in mobile internet charges for customers using 2G is an important step in our strategy to drive mobile internet and we are confident that this move will facilitate in faster adoption and better usage,” said Vivek Mathur, chief commercial officer of Vodafone India.

Vodafone became the second company to equate its 2G data rates with that of 3G after Reliance Communications did the same in July. The dual-technology operator had claimed that its 3G is cheaper than that of its 2G rates, at 1 GB data download at Rs 123. Its effective rate is around 1.2 paisa per KB.

Vodafone said that it took its latest Diwali bonanza rates across pan-India after a successful pilot launch in three circles of Karnataka, UP (West) and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in mid-June.

“This is attractive and lowest mobile internet charge is now being rolled out pan India,” Vodafone said.

The company also said that its customers can roam across the country, and still pay the rates that they do when they are in their home circle. Vodafone has 41.2 million data subscribers, across the country.