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Vodafone drops 3G pricing in wake of X-Series

by Angus Kidman

Friday, 30 March 2007

In the wake of 3's launch of its bargain-priced X-Series phone data plans, Vodafone has slashed pricing on its own 3G data offerings. While it still falls some way short of the X-Series sub-$40 target, cheaper roaming plans might make it a better choice for many mobile data users.

Vodafone has introduced a new 2GB plan for its 3G network in Australia, which costs $79.95 a month for customers on a one or two year contract, or $139.95 a month for casual non-contract users. Contract users on the plan will receive a free USB modem, while Vodafone has also discounted the USB modem for casual purchasers from $399 to $349.

Previously, the company's largest bundle offered 1GB, with a charge of 30 cents per megabyte after that. Vodafone claimed to often wave additional charges, an option that obviously won't be available now there's a 2GB plan. However, contract customers will be charged at a lower 10 cents per megabyte rate for excess downloads.

While those prices are somewhat higher than the options for X-Series, which range from $20 to $40, Vodafone does have one ace up its sleeve which Transit suspects will be a useful weapon in the battle to win people over to mobile broadband. In areas with no 3G coverage, Vodafone automatically fails customers over to GPRS at no additional charge. X-Series customers are forced to pay $1.65 a megabyte whenever they leave a 3 coverage area -- which could lead to a very nasty case of sticker shock.
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