Miles
08-09-2005, 01:38 PM
Vodafone has identified 3 as its key rival in its plans for an aggressive acquisition drive before Christmas.
It is looking to match 3’s deals by putting bigger subsidies and commissions into 3G handsets and even offering customers a bigger cash bounty to churn off 3. Vodafone’s 350 stores have been offering £100 to customers (invariably from 3) who trade in their old 3G phones when they sign up to a Vodafone 3G contract. Customers who swap a 2G handset have £50 credited to their account.
Vodafone’s ‘big 3G deal’ bears an uncanny resemblance to 3’s tariffs, leaving little to choose between the two propositions. Vodafone is punting the Sony Ericsson V600i free to customers on the deal, the same handset that is currently taking top billing on 3’s portfolio.
The move comes ahead of an anticipated tariff shake-up from 3 this month, which is expected to raise its own game.
Vodafone unveiled a new student deal today (Thursday), with the intention of taking on 3’s own recently launched campus offering.
NUS members who sign up to a Vodafone 3G contract ranging from Anytime 125 to Anytime 3,000 are being baited with a free Samsung Z500 as well as unlimited free texts and picture messages.
One Vodafone store salesman said: ‘We’re trying to take 3’s customers. We’re emphasising that our call centres speak English [as a first language] and our better coverage. And now the value of 3’s calls and texts are only a couple of quid cheaper. Our handsets are better too.’
Read more (http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/artman-test/publish/article_687.shtml)
It is looking to match 3’s deals by putting bigger subsidies and commissions into 3G handsets and even offering customers a bigger cash bounty to churn off 3. Vodafone’s 350 stores have been offering £100 to customers (invariably from 3) who trade in their old 3G phones when they sign up to a Vodafone 3G contract. Customers who swap a 2G handset have £50 credited to their account.
Vodafone’s ‘big 3G deal’ bears an uncanny resemblance to 3’s tariffs, leaving little to choose between the two propositions. Vodafone is punting the Sony Ericsson V600i free to customers on the deal, the same handset that is currently taking top billing on 3’s portfolio.
The move comes ahead of an anticipated tariff shake-up from 3 this month, which is expected to raise its own game.
Vodafone unveiled a new student deal today (Thursday), with the intention of taking on 3’s own recently launched campus offering.
NUS members who sign up to a Vodafone 3G contract ranging from Anytime 125 to Anytime 3,000 are being baited with a free Samsung Z500 as well as unlimited free texts and picture messages.
One Vodafone store salesman said: ‘We’re trying to take 3’s customers. We’re emphasising that our call centres speak English [as a first language] and our better coverage. And now the value of 3’s calls and texts are only a couple of quid cheaper. Our handsets are better too.’
Read more (http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/artman-test/publish/article_687.shtml)