Vodacom improves 3G offerings

Johannesburg, 19 Jan 2005

In line with the changes to come in the telecoms industry on 1 February, mobile operator Vodacom has announced aggressive new tariffs for its third-generation (3G) service.

According to Vodacom MD Pieter Uys, the company will introduce a range of new 3G bundles next month, and will also substantially reduce the price of out-of-bundle top-ups.

"Our initial package offered subscribers a 1GB per month 3G contract, with a free Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS data card, for R599 per month, with a top-up cost of R10 per additional Megabyte," he says.

"As of 1 February, we will reduce the out-of-bundle tariff to R2 per additional Megabyte and we will also introduce a range of smaller bundles to appeal to a wide range of consumers."

Uys says the organisation will offer the following monthly packages: R35 for 20Mb, R110 for 75Mb, R149 for 150Mb and R200 for R250Mb; all of which can be purchased on an ad hoc basis, with users able to change their package from month to month, as it suits their needs.

"Another option that will be made available for those who require extensive bandwidth will be the ability to purchase additional Gigabytes at R599 per Gigabyte," states Uys.

"The beauty of 3G lies in the volumes, as it is a move that is taking place across the world, meaning that prices are continuously coming down, while the fact that it is a global standard means seamless international roaming for users."

He says Vodacom has not gone into the 3G game in isolation, as it has taken a long-term view of the global industry.

"Remember, the European players have spent billions of euros on their 3G licences, so it is absolutely imperative they make it all work, and we are now able to be a part of this development.

"Unlike the European operators, which have reduced the cost of voice calls, but charge a lot more for video calls, we have decided to keep our call tariffs the same, but have made the rates for video calls the same as those for a normal voice call."

Uys says part of the point of 3G is to be able to bring the Internet experience to the pocket of a new and greater audience, and Vodacom is working to improve its coverage across SA, with the company planning to upgrade at least 100 base stations per month for the next nine months.

Asked about Mauritian operator Emtel`s 3G launch, which made it the first African operator to have a commercially available network, Uys says Vodacom never considered it to be a race.

"We could have launched earlier, but we chose to ensure our coverage was effective before launching, since the South African public are very demanding with regards to quality of service. We also wanted to be certain that we could offer good tariffs immediately," he says.

"As far as we`re concerned, we are still leading the pack in what is a very new ball game, and with our future plans including taking 3G into the rest of Africa, I think its safe to say that we are still the first serious 3G operator on the African continent."