Vodacom restructures data service offering

South African mobile network provider Vodacom has announced the first phase of the revamp of its broadband and connectivity services, which will provide a greater range of options and benefits to its data customers.

As of 01 April 2009, HSDPA 3.6 with HSUPA has been made available to all of Vodacom’s customers (existing and new) on the Broadband Standard data option, with no need to opt in to use this high-speed mobile data service. The service also comes at no extra charge to the customer.

HSDPA 7.2 with HSUPA is now also available in all 3G coverage areas. All Vodacom customers who subscribe to the new Broadband Advanced data option and connect with HSDPA 7.2 capable devices will benefit from higher download and upload speeds, as well as pay the same rate per Megabyte for in-bundle and out-of-bundle usage.

Vodacom has also introduced the monthly rollover of data, which means that all its data customers are able to carry over unused data to the following month.

Says Shameel Joosub, managing director of Vodacom South Africa: “Our customers’ primary need for data, from PCs and cellphones, is to access the Internet. They want the best data connectivity options available at the lowest possible prices. We believe that this acceleration in the availability of mobile broadband services should see a substantial increase in Internet penetration, providing easy accessibility and higher data speeds at competitive rates.”