Vodafone launches free 2GB limited period data for upgrades to 4G

Facing intense competition from Reliance Jio, the second-largest telecom operator Vodafone on Tuesday launched a data offer for its existing customers in Mumbai to upgrade to a 4G SIM with 2 GB free data.

"All existing Vodafone customers who upgrade to Vodafone SuperNetTM 4G will enjoy 2GB of data free on 4G enabled smartphones. 4G SIMs are available at all Vodafone Stores, Vodafone Mini Stores and multi-brand outlets located across the megapolis," Vodafone said in a statement.

A foreign brokerage report recently said Vodafone may face the maximum brunt of the price war after Reliance Jio came out with cheaper data offer than the market leaders Airtel and Vodafone.

The free 2G data, however, is only for 10 days for prepaid customers while the postpaid customers can avail the benefit till their next billing date, the company said.

Pushpinder Singh Gujral, Business Head at Vodafone Mumbai, said the company serves over 8.5 million customers in the megapolis.

Vodafone offers 4G services in Kerala, Kolkata, Karnataka, Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (East) and Bengal. By the end of this fiscal, the company will offer 4G services in 2,400 more towns across 17 circles, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Goa, Assam and North-East, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh (West).

Meanwhile, Vodafone also welcomed the government initiative to encourage mobile banking and said it has decided to waive the USSD charges till the end of next month.

Welcoming the government move to a less-cash economy, MD and CEO Sunil Sood said: "To ease the burden of the masses, we are waiving off all USSD charges presently levied for mobile banking till December 31."

He added: "As several million customers use feature phones, we are hopeful that this free access to mobile banking will encourage them to adopt it as their preferred and convenient mode for banking. Further, with Vodafone M-Pesa, we are leveraging the reach of mobile technology to drive financial inclusion and offer the convenience of a digital wallet for easy transactions."