www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia is offering the prepaid mobile starter pack for $129 ($119 if ordered online) rather than $149 and claims it to be the “best value” across the Australian market. The operator has also increased the data volumes to 2GB until 30 September up from 500Mb, along with a USB modem ‘dongle’. Unused data can be rolled over if customers recharge within 30 days of their previous recharge. Recharges cost $19 (500MB), $29 (1GB) or $49 (3GB).
On 07.27.09, In Mobile, By Editor
On 06.15.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia has introduced a range of BlackBerry business plans for its corporate subscribers. The ‘Shared Business Caps’ plans will include BlackBerry related software and licensing costs into the the monthly access fee. The plans will offer unlimited e-mail and internet access for all subscribers, free client access licenses and BlackBerry Professional Software for up to thirty users. The plans start at AUD 249 per month for 2 to 4 users.
On 06.04.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia Ltd. and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd have merged their businesses. “Australia has been very interesting lately, we have merged with a competitive company last Friday and formed a new company and that will forward under the name of Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA),” Former Vodafone Australia Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and current Vodafone Hutchison Australia board member Russell Hewitt, said. It is 50-50 % joint venture. VHA will market its products and services under the existing Vodafone brand, and retain the
exclusive rights to the 3 brand, which is owned by Hutchison. It is anticipated that Earnings per share for both Vodafone and Hutchison Australia would be enhanced by the deal. Australian dollars in revenue and will head about 6 million customers,” Hewitt said.
“So that makes it quite a large company in Australia and makes it a very strong competitor trying to move into the number two position in the market place,” he added. After the merger VHA is now headed by Hutchison Australia Chief Executive Officer Nigel Dews, with Vodafone CEO Nick Read as Chairman.
Current Vodafone CFO Dave Boorman is VHA’s CFO, while Hewitt will be a non-Executive Director of VHA.
“As a result of that merger I’ve moved on to the board of VHA and I get to keep my shareholders responsibility here in Fiji which I’m delighted about because we really enjoy coming to Fiji,” he added.
On 06.03.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia has revealed its pricing for the upcoming HTC Magic with Google device. The device is available for free on a AUD 69, 24-month contract. The consumer cap contracts range from AUD 69 to AUD 114 per month and include 1 GB of data with the most expensive plan offering 2 GB of data. SOHO business plan is also offered by Vodafone. From 10 June, the device will be available in stores. The Android-powered mobile device comes with Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) and Geo-tagging. Moreover, Vodafone will also offer the HTC Magic with an 8 GB memory card and a 24-month warranty as standard. The device supports Google’s suite of services such as Gmail, Google Maps and Google Search.
On 06.01.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia has announced that the HTC Magic handset will be available to its subscribers at Vodafone Stores from 15 June’09. Vodafone will offer the handset in black or white colour, the white of which will be exclusive to Vodafone in Australia.
The Android powered mobile features software enhancements such as firmware-over-the-air and the ability to geo-tag pictures. With Fota, Vodafone will push out firmware upgrades to ensure any improvements, developed over the coming months, are automatically downloaded onto customers’ devices.
The device will adorn Google’s suite of services like Gmail, Google Maps and Google Search and Vodafone and will also give customers a 24-month warranty with the device for no additional charge.
On 02.04.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Vodafone Australia’s subscriber base has reached the mark of 4 million attributed to the purchase of Crazy John. As subscriber number continues to rise, the ARPU continues to drop. According to the statistics reported, Vodafone has added more than 186,000 customers, including 76,300 from the $150 million acquisition of Crazy John’s in September. In totality, Vodafone’s subscriber base is more than 3,915,000 customers, marking a growth of 343,000 additional customers, compared to last year.
The question of concern for the operator, though, is the connection between Vodafone’s increasing subscriber base and the attrition of its total average revenue per user (ARPU). Although, the service revenue has grown 8.2% for the quarter, ARPU dropped by 2.1% compared with the same quarter in 2007.
Vodafone Australia Chief Marketing Officer John Casey said that the ARPU decline was not attributable to the addition of Crazy John’s customer base, but rather the rising ranks of 3G data customers that have been joining the telco.
“The proportion of data customers in our subscriber base is increasing and data customers have lower ARPU than voice customers,” Mr Casey said.
“So although voice customers are continuing to use their phones as much as ever, our total ARPUs are being reduced by the impact of the lower data customer ARPU.”
The increase in Vodafone’s data consuming customers has helped the cellco end its third quarter with more than 1.1 million 3G devices on the market, an increase of 49.9% in comparison to third quarter 2007.
On 01.29.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Euronet Worldwide’s prepaid subsidiary, e-pay Australia, has signed a Prepaid Distribution Pact with Vodafone Australia. According to Vodafone, it has appointed e-pay as its exclusive agent in Australia to distribute Vodafone Prepaid Recharge products through retail channels.
Steve Bannigan, General Manager Consumer Sales at Vodafone Australia, said, “With its record of reliability and robust technology platform, we believe e-pay Australia is well placed to satisfy the needs of our retail partner community, which represents more than 12,000 points of presence.”
“Vodafone continues to offer innovative prepaid services, and today’s announcement is an important step forward with the e-pay distribution network making it very convenient and easy for customers to recharge their prepaid credit,” added Bannigan.
The terms and conditions of the agreement between e-pay and Vodafone are not yet disclosed.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
On 11.24.08, In Mobile, By Editor
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone is the perfect choice for both personal users and business customers looking for a state-of-the-art, multimedia device that makes a statement in the office and out on the town. Its unique and innovative SurePress™ touchscreen, which depresses ever so slightly when the screen is pressed, dramatically enhances the touch interface for both typing and navigation and gives users an experience they can actually feel. The stylish smartphone boasts exceptional performance, a stunning display and rich features including 3G (HSPA) network support, GPS, desktop-style web pages, advanced multimedia, a first class phone, camera and robust messaging capabilities – all designed to give users an incredibly fast and powerful mobile experience.
Vodafone Internet Caps
(cost per month) Included talk, TXT and more
(per month) Included data* BlackBerry Storm Contract
$69 $340 Unlimited BlackBerry email and internet Free^ 24-month
$79 $550 Unlimited BlackBerry email and internet Free^ 24-month
$99 $650 Unlimited BlackBerry email and internet Free^ 24-month
$119 $1,000 Unlimited BlackBerry email and internet Free^ 24-month
$149 $2,000 Unlimited BlackBerry email and internet Free^ 24-month
Russell Hewitt, CEO, Vodafone Australia comments, “Today we announce that we’re bringing the BlackBerry Storm to Australia with a sensational $0 offer with unlimited BlackBerry email and internet usage. BlackBerry Storm is the first device to come to fruition following an agreement between Vodafone, Verizon and RIM to develop and bring to market cutting edge smartphones on the BlackBerry platform.”
Hewitt continues, “Available exclusively through Vodafone, the BlackBerry Storm features a new ‘clickable’ touchscreen that will redefine expectations on performance from a touchscreen handset and become an instant hit with customers with its sexy design and ease of use. With the popularity of data-intensive services sky-rocketing, we’re enabling customers to make the most of Vodafone’s 3G network and RIM’s latest technology to enjoy the services they want at a price that is very affordable.”
Dany Bolduc, Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Research In Motion comments: “The BlackBerry Storm is a next-generation smartphone designed to meet the communications and multimedia needs of the most demanding customers. The new “clickable” SurePress touch-screen is a remarkable innovation that offers a revolutionary improvement to the touch interface. We are very excited to introduce the first touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone together with Vodafone in Australia.
Bolduc conclude, “With its robust communications capabilities, rich multimedia features and stylish design, the BlackBerry Storm helps customers make the most of their time with a chic and lifestyle-friendly smartphone.”
The introduction of the new BlackBerry Application Centre from Vodafone will also coincide with the release of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone, available in December. The new on-device Application Centre enables BlackBerry Storm customers to easily download applications over Vodafone’s 3G network. Some applications will be available free of charge, with others clearly priced and included on the customer’s monthly bill. A selection of applications is outlined below:
MusicStation
Have access to the latest tracks at your fingertips with Vodafone MusicStation. Get unlimited access to over 1 million music tracks for only $2.75 per week.
Vodafone Compass
Vodafone’s popular Compass service offers a complete navigation experience – whether driving or walking – enabling users to find their way quickly and easily using turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
Social networking applications
The BlackBerry Storm comes pre-loaded with a number of social networking and Instant Messaging applications. These include; Facebook, Flickr and a range of IM applications that can be used through the BlackBerry browser, including: Windows Live Messenger, AOL, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ.
Customers can pre-register to purchase the BlackBerry Storm smartphone at: www.vodafone.com.au. Pre-registered customers will be given the opportunity to purchase the BlackBerry Storm the w/c November 24, online. Customers that pre-register and buy a BlackBerry Storm online will receive a complimentary 8GB memory card.
About Wireless Federation
Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.
For more information please visit www.wirelessfederation.com
On 08.20.08, In Mobile, By Editor
Vodafone Australia is facing a flurry of complaints by the Australian subscribers regarding unexpected large bills after a month of their purchase of the Apple iPhone from the mobile carrier.
In one of the bills, Vodafone charged a subscriber on a $99 per month ‘capped’ plan over $800, including several hundred dollars relating to just 25MB of data downloads.
According to the subscribers, they have been Vodafone subscribers even befor iPhone’s launch and it appeared that Vodafone had not correctly migrated them across to the new iPhone plan.