Tag: vodafone

Airtel, Vodafone Launch Nationwide MNP from July 3

From Friday, you will be able to retain the same number anywhere in India, without changing your network operator. Today, mobile operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone said that they would roll out nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) from July 3.

Telecom operators were supposed to roll out nationwide MNP in May. However, due to the technical challenges faced by telecom operators, the deadline of May 3 was extended by two months by Department of Telecom (DoT). According to COAI, the telecom industry body, telecom operators needed 8 weeks to make some technical changes to their networks due to changes in national numbering plan (NNP), resulting in delay.

Ajai Puri, Director, Market Operations, Bharti Airtel, said

With our complete readiness to launch National Mobile Number Portability, we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country. To facilitate a seamless transition we will also allow our customers to enjoy free incoming on roaming while their number portability request is being processed.

Now that Airtel and Vodafone have implemented full MNP, subscribers will be able to switch to the same or different network in a different state while retaining the same mobile number. Airtel promises that the porting request will take effect in 24 hours, which is fast when compared to the 8 days it usually takes.

To make the MNP process even more smooth, Airtel customers will enjoy free incoming on roaming while their request is processed and can transfer their prepaid balance & carry forward postpaid unbilled/billed amount. The process for national MNP will be the same as intra-city MNP.

Read about Vodafone’s latest tariff plans here.

July 2, 2015
All Major Indian Telecom Players Slash Down Roaming Rates by Up to 75%

After Vodafone slashed down their roaming rates, leading telecom operators followed suit, including Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communication. All of the operators lowered their roaming rates up to 75% after TRAI cut off the maximum ceiling tariff. Roaming call rates will be cheaper by 40% and SMS by 75%. The above is effective immediately.

For Airtel, incoming rates have been reduced by 40% and outgoing inter-circle calls will be lowered by 23%. Outgoing local call rates will be decreased by 20%, and it reduced local SMS rate by 75%. Outgoing inter-circle SMS rate has been cut by up to 74%.

As for Idea Cellular and Reliance, similarly, these two companies have slashed their roaming call rates by 40%. Idea will now charge incoming calls at 45paise/minute and outgoing is reduced by 20%. Local SMS on Idea will cost 25% lesser, and STD will be charged 38 paise while on roaming.

In the words of Morgan Stanley, American multinational financial service:

Reduction in national roaming ceiling tariff would imply a 2% revenue impact and 4% Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) impact for operators, which could be partly offset by an increase in roaming minutes and any positive differential gains.

Earlier this month, TRAI had cut the maximum rate for STD calls on roaming to Rs 1.15 from Rs 1.50. To read about Vodafone’s new tariff plans, click here.

May 1, 2015
Vodafone Lowers National Roaming Tariffs For its Customers

Vodafone India has lowered down their call rates for national roaming tariffs. These will come into effect 1^st May onwards.

This reduction applies to both local and STD calls. All outgoing calls on roaming have been set to 80paise/minute, which earlier was Re. 1/minute. For STD calls, rates have been revised to Rs 1.15/minute from the former Rs 1.5/minute. Also regarding text messaging, prices have been slashed down to 75% while on roaming. Earlier, it was Re. 1 which have been lowered to 25 paise now. For STD, rates have been reduced to 38 paise from Rs. 1.50.

As for the Special Roaming Tariff Plan for prepaid and postpaid users, which is as follows:

Currently, Vodafone has incoming free packs for Prepaid and Post-paid customers and the incoming voice calls while on national roaming would be free, on payment of fixed charge. Revised packs are as follows:

Vodafone is one of the largest telecommunication service providers of the world, with more than 444 million subscribers and 11.8 million fixed broadband customers. Clearly, this move will be appreciated by many.

April 30, 2015
Now, Purchase an Apple Iphone6 by Vodafone with Zero Down-Payment

Apple launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India in the October of 2014. The devices received acclaim for their features such as continuity and Apple Pay, but also drew flak for issues such as “bendability” in the iPhone 6 Plus. The devices are priced for the premium segment so they are out of reach of many. If you really wanted to own Apple’s latest flagship, Vodafone is giving you an option to own the device that is light on your pocket.

In the open market, the 16GB variant of the iPhone 6 comes for Rs 53,500 and the iPhone 6 Plus is priced at Rs 62,500. But Vodafone is offering the handsets for a monthly EMI of Rs 3,599 for both the iPhone variants. The period of EMI is 24 months. The monthly EMI includes handset cost, local/STD calls, local/national SMS and 3G data and applicable taxes.

The best part about this deal is that there is zero down payment for the 16 GB variant of the iPhone 6.The iPhone 6 Plus though is available for a down payment of Rs 8,490.

Vodafone India has launched tariff plans today where the customer can make calls, send SMS and access 3G data bundled with an iPhone starting at Rs. 2,099.

The company has also offered deals with a 12 month EMI option or upfront cash payment. Vodafone has also offered an additional cash-back offer of Rs 3,000 for all models of the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5s.

January 16, 2015
Spectrum Delay to Disrupt Telephony Services in Three Megacities

If you are living in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata and are a subscriber of either of the two largest mobile service providers, Vodafone and Airtel, there might be trouble brewing ahead for you. Mobile telephony may get disrupted the coming month in these cities because of the delay in spectrum allocation.

In February this year, the spectrum allocation bid took place. All major service providers got their share. But the government allotted the airwaves just this month. This might cause a lot of trouble especially for the subscribers of Vodafone and Airtel, whose spectrum expires in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by the end of next month. The companies have to vacate the 900 MHz spectrum and shift to 1800 MHz.

The delay in Spectrum allocation can result in disruption of Vodafone, Airtel and Idea services

As the Department of Telecom (DoT) allocated the spectrum to the companies this month, they are asking for a six-month extension. This request was made by GSM industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). According to them, shifting of frequencies and bands require at least six months to make a smooth transition. They said that a lot of groundwork needs to be carried out, which includes new tower locations, antenna tuning, network configuration, etc. And hence, they require a minimum extension of six-month for a seamless transfer.

The decision will affect a giant section of mobile users in those cities. It is estimated that combined user share of Vodafone, Airtel and Idea in Delhi accounts for 26 million, which is almost 79% of the GSM mobile users. In Mumbai, the trio provides GSM services to 72% of mobile users.

DoT, however, hasn’t given any assurance to the companies. The representatives of the industry will be meeting with the officials at the DoT on Friday. The result of the meet will decide the fate of millions of mobile connections. If talks fail, it will not just create a connectivity issue but will create an economical issue as well, considering that a good number of businessmen are now dependent on their phones for their livelihood. We’ll get to know how things work out for everyone this Friday.

October 29, 2014
TRAI says that the current tariff is fine

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in a move to calm worried telecom firms reeling under huge losses, has said on Monday that the current tariffs are not objectionably high and are good for competitive environment.

The major issue on the mind of the TRAi being the deactivation of inactive mobile connections, TRAI said that the recommendations for the same should be finalized by March.

[quote]The mobile tariffs are competitive. We could not find that tariffs have been in any objectionable territory, In normal course, it (the recommendations) should take one-and-a-half-month more from now,”Rajeev Agarwal, secretary,TRAI [/quote]

Recently again many firms have hiked data tariffs by 25-30% to improve margins. TRAI sought views of stakeholders on the need to review the existing regime of tariff forbearance. Views were also sought on a suitable tariff framework for data services.

While deactivation of a SIM without prior intimation and on arbitrary grounds has become an issue of debate as it deprives a subscriber of his mobile number which might have been an identity for him for a long time.

According to a consultation paper floated by TRAI, consumers can also suffer from a potential loss of activity in both personal and professional set-ups causing an adverse impact on livelihood.

Last year the telecom tribunal had also rejected the telecom operators’ petition against TRAI’s guidelines on VAS which asked operators to take prior confirmation before activating and charging subscribers for such services and asked them to comply with the directive by February 2.

In 2011, TRAI’s directives said that an operator was required to obtain confirmation from their subscribers through SMS, e-mail, fax or in writing within 24 hours of activation of VAS.

January 15, 2013
Bharti Airtel Becomes World’s 4th Largest Mobile Operator

According to the Wireless Intelligence ‘Scoreboard’ report, Bharti Airtel has 250 million mobile subscribers across its operations by the end of June 2012. Bharti Airtel took over Telefonica Group with a growth of 13 percent over the year.

Bharti Airtel has operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa with a subscriber base of 250 million.

According to a PTI report, China Mobile continues to be at the top spot with 683.08 million connections, followed by Vodafone Group (386.88 million) and America Movil Group (251.83 million). Bharti Airtel (250.04) and Telefonica Group (243.51) are at fourth and fifth position, respectively.

The research report also listed three other Indian operators in the top 20 mobile operators with Reliance coming in 8^th position having a subscriber base close to 155 million, followed by IdeaCellular in 14^th position with 117 million subscribers and then BSNL in the 20^th position with 98 million mobile subscribers.

October 22, 2012
Edit : Vodafone : Happy to Help!

I don’t think most will disagree when I say that the state of mobile network infrastructure in the country is really poor. Post the 3G era most have struggled to make phone calls let alone get impressive data speeds.

We recall the time of 2G, where the network bars were always at full and there was little or no dropped calls.We can safely recall what a challenge it was when we shifted from 2G to 3G last year to enjoy the so called “high speed access on our Smartphones”.

I personally have been a Vodafone user for as far back as I can remember ( Vodafone was called Hutch prior to this and Essar before that) and I never really had a complaint with the services provided. I usually fully exploit warranties and customer care of every product and service to their fullest, to ensure that guidelines of quality of any product or service bought by me are met.

[pullquote_right] the past year had been pure turmoil[/pullquote_right]Vodafone was good to me, their network was strong and at one point of time they even had this wonderful Rs. 1899 plan where there was no limit calling and data usage (2G). However, the past year had been pure turmoil, not only at home but for everyone at the office. With no signal in a place like my bedroom, or my office, making a phone call was like fighting a war on the battle field. I literally can remember twisting and turning my phone to get a good reception, peeping out the window and even jumping out to the balcony for hours to be on conference calls. The call drop numbers were phenomenal, in August itself I had more than 800 calls that lasted no longer than 4 seconds = dropped calls apart from other call drops that happened during a conversation. Not only was it inconvenient it was frustrating.

Although, most of the members in my house use either Airtel and or services like Dolphin (MTNL), I was not keen on switching over my main Vodafone number to another network. But this time around the water had gone through the roof, if that may be a correct term. I was unable to make a sustained phone call on my main number affecting not only personal but work connections as well.

[pullquote_left]MNP came to the rescue[/pullquote_left]Since I need multiple sims for reviews,MNP came to the rescue I switched over one of our numbers to Dolphin and another to Airtel to see any changes in network. After the 10-14 day process I was shocked to see there was really no improvement. Infact it was so bad that Dolphin’s 3G network would disappear while I was getting a call, resulting in a phone crash on the ringer screen.

This is where iGyaan instincts kicked in and I found it as a great opportunity to test the customer service of all three of these network providers. Here is how it all happened in a matter of two months.

1st call Standard customer care numbers:

Vodafone : “We are sorry for the issues faced we will arrange a call back from our network team”

Airtel : “We have not received any other such complaint! please try changing your phone, if the problem persists visit Airtel store to change your SIM”

Dolphin : “Aisa hi hai network sabka kya karein” (Everyone is facing network issues, what can we do ?) [pullquote_right]”Aisa hi hai network sabka kya karein”[/pullquote_right]

While Dolphin’s response was truly expected, Airtel’s was not, especially because their landline customer support is simply awesome.

Two days later on the Vodafone Number I got a call from the network engineer who said : “we are facing major network issues in the area you stay in, and unluckily in your office area as well”. He added “we are trying to set up the tower to fix your home network area, but the office area wouldn’t be fixed by the end of the year”.

As I was not expecting any calls from the other two parties, I decided to make my second call:

Vodafone :”Our engineers have confirmed that your areas are affected by poor networks and our teams are working to fix them soon” He added “the only solution I can offer is that we can send you a replacement SIM card, which might improve your network till this problem is resolved”

Airtel : “If you have changed your SIM and tried another phone I will ask a senior to call you back”

Dolphin : “Sanchaar hut mein ja ke written mein complain kar di-jiye ” (Please visit the MTNL Sanchaar Hut and give a written complaint)

I opted for the replacement SIM card from Vodafone, asked Airtel to arrange a call back and submitted a written complaint at the area’s “Sanchaar Hut” for Dolphin. While Vodafone sent a replacement SIM the very next day, I never got a call back from Airtel. Surprisingly, I did get a call from a Dolphin manager a couple of days later, and he claimed that if I opt for a 2G SIM vs a 3G SIM (since I don’t use data on that number) my network would improve considerably. But, since MTNL is now purely selling 3G sims, he said he might be able to arrange one 2G SIM for me within a week.

[pullquote_left]didn’t expect a new SIM to work[/pullquote_left]Fifteen days later, there was no improvement in the Vodafone Network ( I didn’t expect a new SIM to work anyway) and no call back from Airtel or Dolphin, I decided to make final contact, But this time to Nodal offices of all three.

I wrote up a crisp mail, added all the issues and communications along with my case ID’s and sent individual mails to all three Nodal Offices of the networks. I also marked the Airtel’s mail to their 121 email id.

This is where the picture began to clear up, Vodafone nodal office replied immediately as if it was an automated reply, but it was personal and included all relevant details along with a promise of a call back with a resolution.

Airtel 121 replied stating, that they will look into the matter and come out with a resolution soon enough. There was no reply from Dolphin, and honestly I didn’t expect one either.

Vodafone had escalated my complaint to the Appellate office where a lady named Shweta called me back and offered a resolution : ” We can provide you with a personal network booster which will connect to you cell phone improving the network of your device” she explained. I informed her that many people in our office use Vodafone numbers and we cannot all be linked to multiple of these antennas, and besides I do not wish to convert my cell phone into a land line phone by linking it to a wire.

She then explained that she would speak within the office and try and arrange for a Vodafone Mobile booster for the Home as well as the Office affected. Then began the process of multiple mails between Vodafone and me. Throughout this whole process I was updated of the status of my case, via email or or on the phone by professional people, who spoke well and to the point with accurate information. Soon after the exchanges, a network engineer visited both locations and a week later the installation team came with all the equipment, assembled it at our locations and got the booster running. The booster consists of a antenna on the roof, a network amplifier and indoor antennas which enhance the indoor signal.

[pullquote_right]Professionally wired, carefully cladded and tagged the boosters were installed [/pullquote_right] Professionally wired, carefully cladded and tagged the boosters were installed without affecting the aesthetics of my home or my office. Funnily enough even after all this, there was no improvement in the signal. The Vodafone engineer who came for the installation explained : ” Sir aap do din use karo yeh network pakad lega” (Sir use it for two days, it will automatically register to the network). While I smirked at the thought of the amplifier taking two days to “catch the signal”, I agreed to wait for the said time.

It has effectively been 2 weeks since the Vodafone boosters were installed at our locations, and I can safely say that I have had, but one dropped call. The booster did start to work within two days and has improved the signal to the extent that there are no more choppy calls or “called failed” messages on my Vodafone phone.

I still have not received any calls from Airtel or even a response from Dolphin for my complaints. While the booster has improved Dolphin’s network as well, Airtel remains unaffected, possibly due to different frequencies.

[pullquote_left]Never intended to be a review[/pullquote_left]At the end, this was never intended to be a review, or a bias of any sort. I have hated 3G services from Vodafone and they are still as bad, even with the booster installed. This is because the booster only boosts voice networks and not data, and Shweta informed me that there is no data booster available at Vodafone, else they would have installed that for us aswell. No other provider stepped forward to offer a resolution where as Vodafone installed multiple boosters costing great amounts each, at both our locations. They didn’t charge us a penny and the voice network is now excellent.

For that we rate Vodafone’s Customer Care an A+.

And for our scenario at least – They were really happy to help!

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October 15, 2012
India’s GSM subscriber base drops by 7.1 million in August says COAI

According to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), India’s GSM subscriber base is now at 671.95 million, after major players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea Cellular, lost roughly 5.1 million subscribers in the month of August, 2012. It is estimated that the total GSM subscriber base in India declined by 7.1 million in the same period.

Bharti Airtel, which currently holds a 27.82 percent market share, lost 1.90 million subscribers in August, bringing its total subscriber base to 186.9 million. Idea Cellular lost 1.64 million subscribers in the same period, placing its subscriber base at 115.97 million. Vodafone on the other hand, lost 1.55 million subscribers in the same period, giving it a total subscriber base of 153.35 million.

The other GSM operator to lose subscribers in the month of August was Uninor, which lost a significant 2.38 million subscribers. This brings its total subscriber base to 42.11 million. Airceland Loop Mobile were the only two GSM operators to have added subscribers in the same period, with Aircel adding 793,717 subscribers, and Loop Mobile adding 79,842 subscribers.

The COAI report does not include detailed data for BSNL and MTNL, but stated that the former held a subscriber base of 94.67 million subscribers in August, while MTNL held a 5.12 million subscriber base.

September 17, 2012
Vodafone India offers new international roaming pack

Telecom service Vodafone India has launched an international roaming package under which subscribers can avail of 60 percent discount on services including voice and data.

These packs will be available till Sep 30. The offer is activated on a minimal one-time rental fee of Rs.1,499 valid for 30 days, the rental for which will be charged in the customer’s bill.

[quote]Vodafone subscribers can now avail international roaming services at 60 percent discount rate for voice, data and SMS in one single pack. This discount offer is applicable across 40 countries on specific partner networks across the globe[/quote]

[quote]”This latest offering addresses the latent needs of customers travelling to multiple countries with a single pack on one number and one-time rental, thus making international roaming a worry-free experience,”[/quote]- Sanjoy Mukerji, chief commercial officer, Vodafone India.

June 27, 2012
Vodafone follows in Footsteps Reduces 3G Tariffs by Upto 80% – New Tariffs

Vodafone has been slow to react, but have reacted none the less. Following suit after Idea and Airtel dropped 3G tariff prices. Vodafone has been quick to jump onto the bandwagon, announcing new 3G tariff plans that are almost 80% lower than previous plans in some cases, and even lower than Idea cellular and Airtel Tariffs.

With reduction in tariffs, Vodafone also announced there will be no additional charges for roaming on data usage. “Additionally, Vodafone will now allow its customers to use data from their bundle package while on-net roaming across any location in India without any additional charge,” a company statement said.

The 3G tariff war is happening at a time when most of the operators are up in arms against the high reserve price of spectrum proposed by sectoral regulators Trai. The government is likely to take a decision on spectrum price in the Empowered group of Ministers meeting on July 21.

The operators have warned that mobile bills could increase by up to 100 per cent in certain circles if the proposals are accepted. According to industry experts, the price war in 3G tariffs may be an effort to cash huge investments made by telecom operators.

June 21, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S III goes up for pre-order in the UK

Three prominent Uk network providers Vodafone, Three and O2 have started taking pre-orders for the next Galaxy, the S3. Since the networks have already started receiving huge numbers of queries, it seems like a good idea to start pre-orders considering the devices should be available end May-early June.

Pricing also seems worthwhile as you can snag the 16GB version for £41 monthly plan on Vodafone, which has some data benefits as well. Hit the links below to find your fix.

[Vodafone UK]

[Three]

[O2]

May 11, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S Advance i9070 coming to UK April 30th (PR)

Samsung’s new addition to the Galaxy S series, the S Advance is ready to hit UK retailers the 30th of this month. Dual core chipset and Super Amoled display is what the advance bring to the table.

Check out the PR :

UK AVAILABILITY OF SAMSUNG GALAXY S ADVANCE ANNOUNCED

Latest Galaxy device set to hit shops on 30th April

26th April 2012, London, UK – Samsung Mobile UK has today announced the Galaxy S Advance will be available in the UK from 30th April. Joining Samsung’s Android-powered Galaxy portfolio, the Galaxy S Advance boasts the same sleek and stylish design of the award-winning Galaxy S II.

Simon Stanford, Vice President, UK & IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “We’ve been pleased with the response we’ve had from customers, partners and media since announcing the Galaxy S Advance in January. As with many of our smartphones before it, the Galaxy S Advance features a screen which uses our Super AMOLED technology so anyone that buys one will experience unparalleled colour and vivid clarity when viewing any content on the device.”

A dual-core 1.0GHz processor and HSPA 14.4 Mbps connectivity means owners of the Galaxy S Advance can enjoy a highly responsive interface and super-fast speeds when browsing the web and downloading content, as well as smoother screen transitions and faster image processing.

Featuring Android Gingerbread and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, the Galaxy S Advance allows users to stay connected at all times through Samsung Hubs which offer access to music, books and games. Samsung’s own cross-platform communication service ChatON offers easy instant messaging and group chatting and allows content to be shared in multiple formats to make messaging simpler and more intuitive. Owners of the device will also benefit from its Find My Mobile feature, a lost-phone management system that enables customers to trace their missing device directly via the Internet or even delete the device’s data remotely – ensuring personal information remains safe.

The Galaxy S Advance will be available in the UK across a variety of networks including Phones 4u and Vodafone.

April 27, 2012
Vodafone adds to the Blackberry Messenger frenzy Launches BBM Go for Rs. 129

Vodafone has added to the Blackberry Messenger mayhem, and launched its own Rs. 129 BBM plan, Called the BBM Go. The plan offers Vodafone prepaid or postpaid users the ability to use unlimited BMM on their Blackberry devices, while other usage will be charged at 10p/10kb. The Go BBM plan can be had for Rs. 5 per day or Rs. 129 per month. To activate the plan Prepaid Vodafone users must SMS ACT BBM129 to 144 whereas Postpaid users must SMS ACT BBM129 to 111.

Airtel, however, is offering the Rs. 129 unlimited BBM service plan only to its post-paid customers. Airtel also bundles 300 free SMS messages with the plan, Vodafone is currently not offering any such deal.

January 19, 2012
Vodafone Launches new Blue handset with dedicated Facebook button for Rs 4950/-
Vodafone has announced the new Vodafone Blue handset at just Rs 4950/-

The phone has a designated F button that lets the user upload pictures, visit profiles and update status in a single click . It basically allows you to do the Facebook magic. The device updates as counters, notifications, and displays Facebook posts regularly in the background.

Additionally, Vodafone Blue will be launched in India, with unlimited access to Facebook for a year from the date of its purchase.

The mobile internet plays a central role in the daily lives of millions of Vodafone customers, many of whom are avid Facebook users. Vodafone Blue is the answer to our youth’s mobile social networking needs. The phone has been designed to let everyone experience the fun of connecting with friends on the go, at a pocket friendly price. With our unique, fully integrated Facebook customization, the Vodafone Blueoffers a compelling, out-of-the-box experience.”

-Mr. Kumar Ramanathan, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Essar

Facebook wants to make every phone social and Vodafone has taken the integration of Facebook to the next level with the Vodafone Blue. We are really happy that Vodafone has brought the phone to India and enabling people to experience Facebook free of charge from the mobile device for a year”

-Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business, Facebook

The device basically is a Qwerty phone with a touch navigation, 2.4″ landscape display and QWERTY keypad with features like a 3.5 mm headset jack, FM Radio, multiple simultaneous Facebook Chat sessions, 2 megapixel camera.

The device is available now.

[toggle title_open=”PRESS RELEASE” title_closed=”PRESS RELEASE” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]

Vodafone Essar, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, in its endeavour to provide differentiated experience to its customers today launched a revolutionary phone –Vodafone Blue. Specifically designed to put the Facebook experience into the heart of the handset,Vodafone Blue will allow users to easily share and connect with their friends anytime, anywhere. The phone is designed specifically to bring an ‘outstanding and affordable integrated mobile Facebook experience’ to pay-as-you-go customers.

The Vodafone Blue, developed in collaboration with Facebook, brings the qualities of a classic Smartphone together with popular social networking functions – from status updates to sharing a photo – into the hands of millions of people in an attractive, intuitive mobile phone, competitively priced at MRP. Rs 4950/- (inclusive of all taxes) only.

The uber-cool Vodafone Blue has a designated F button that lets the user upload pictures, visit profiles; update status at a single click. The phone takes Facebook integration to a different stage by providing all kinds of updates as counters, notifications, and displays Facebook posts regularly in the background. Additionally, Vodafone Blue will be launched in India, with unlimited access to Facebook for a year from the date of its purchase.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Kumar Ramanathan, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Essar said, “The mobile internet plays a central role in the daily lives of millions of Vodafone customers, many of whom are avid Facebook users. Vodafone Blue is the answer to our youth’s mobile social networking needs. The phone has been designed to let everyone experience the fun of connecting with friends on the go, at a pocket friendly price. With our unique, fully integrated Facebook customization, the Vodafone Blueoffers a compelling, out-of-the-box experience.”

Commenting on the launch of the phone, Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business, Facebook said, “Facebook wants to make every phone social and Vodafone has taken the integration of Facebook to the next level with the Vodafone Blue. We are really happy that Vodafone has brought the phone to India and enabling people to experience Facebook free of charge from the mobile device for a year”.

Vodafone Blue: Powering the new era of mobile social networking in India

Every aspect of the Vodafone Blue design reflects people’s desire to stay up-to-date and communicate with their friends anytime, anywhere.
For additional details and other terms and conditions, please refer www.vodafone.in

Notes to Editors
Notes to Editor

About Vodafone Essar

Vodafone Essar is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over 143 million customers. Vodafone Essar has been awarded the “Best Mobile Service Provider 2011” at the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2011. Also, in a survey conducted by India’s leading business weekly, Vodafone Essar was awarded ‘Most Respected Company’ in the Telecom Sector for 2010 and the ‘Most Trusted Service Brand’ in India for 2010, by a leading financial daily. Vodafone India, in line with its group philosophy has released the Corporate Sustainability Report for India – Footprints 2010-11. To view the online version of the report, please visit www.vodafone.in

Vodafone is one of the world’s largest mobile communications companies by revenue with over 370 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at June 30, 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com

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September 8, 2011