Taking on Jio: Now Vodafone to offer 4G smartphones for Rs 2,899

Vodafone has forged a partnership with Micromax, wherein customers can own a 4G smartphone for Rs 999

As the incumbent operators look to take on Reliance Jio and retain their customer base for feature phones, they are forging partnerships with handset makers so as to make smartphones affordable and within reach of a large section of society.

After Airtel, which has tied up with Karbonn to come out with a smartphone for an effective price of Rs 1,399, Vodafone has also forged a partnership with Micromax, wherein customers can own a 4G smartphone for Rs 999.

According to the Vodafone offer, existing and new Vodafone customers will have to buy the Micromax Bharat-2 Ultra smartphone by paying Rs 2,899 and if they recharge at least Rs 150 per month for 36 months, Rs 1,900 will be returned as cashback.

Also Read : Micromax launches budget smartphone

At the end of 18 months, users will receive a cashback of Rs 900 and after another 18 months, a cashback of Rs 1,000, in their Vodafone M-Pesa wallets. Vodafone has not provided a specific plan for the Micromax offer and people buying the device can recharge with existing offers of the company.

As the company is targeting feature phone users, who usually recharge with amounts starting at Rs 10, Vodafone has allowed the flexibility for users to choose recharges of any denomination but to avail the offer, a minimum of Rs 150 should be spent in a month, or Rs 2,700 in 18 months.

Avneesh Khosla, associate director — Consumer Business, Vodafone India, said, “Through our partnership with Micromax, we have democratised 4G smartphones at a price of under Rs 999. This will help fulfill the aspirations of several million phone users across the country who desire a smartphone but couldn’t afford one.”

Rs 2500 JioPhone @ just Rs 1500! How RIL is planning to recover losses

Jio has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year

Reliance Industries' telecom upstart Jio is footing at least 40 percent of the cost of its basic 4G phone, two sources familiar with the matter said, as it bets on recovering the investment by luring in millions of new customers.

The Jio Phone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of 1,500 rupees ($23.05), will cost at least 2,500 rupees ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters.

That means Jio will likely carry more than $150 million in costs for every 10 million JioPhones it sells.

And the company aims to build a subscriber base of between 250 million and 300 million users in the next two years, said one of the sources.

Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.

Some Reliance investors may flinch at the cost of subsidies, but the scale of the outlay is a clear signal of the level of Jio's ambition, as it targets an audience of some 500 million who still cannot afford smartphones in India.

Also Read : Nokia 8 with dual rear camera launched in India at Rs 36,999

Jio's advanced voice over LTE (VoLTE) network only works with 4G enabled devices, inaccessible to many even at subsidised rates. The significantly cheaper JioPhone, however, will open the Internet to a less affluent segment of Indians for the very first time.

"The 3,000-rupee smartphone was not cutting it," the second source said. "Reliance is making a bold attempt with this phone and data will be the key driver for them."

Analysts estimate a majority of Indian feature phone users have an average revenue per user (ARPU) of rupees 50 or lower. JioPhone's 153 rupees monthly plan for so-called pre-paid users aims to drive up this ARPU, the first source said.

Jio, backed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year, by offering free voice and cut-price data for months.(more)

Vodafone offers free Netflix for a year: Here is how to avail of the scheme

Here is how you can claim the free Netflix gift if you are a Vodafone RED subscriber

Company News : Now, Vodafone customers can avail up to one year of free Netflix subscription. Exciting, right? Tapping on the popularity of Netflix in India, the telecom service provider, over the weekend, announced an all-new Netflix subscription benefit for its RED postpaid customers in India. However, the plan is not for everyone. The company has also added the condition that postpaid subscribers on Vodafone RED plans of Rs 1,299 or higher value are eligible to get a free up to one-year Netflix subscription as a free gift, according to NDTV.

Here is how you can avail free Netflix subscription with Vodafone RED plans

— If you are a Vodafone RED subscriber, you can claim the Netflix gift by visiting the official website - https://shop.vodafone.in/shop/po....

— Vodafone customers can also SMS ‘Netflix’ to 199 to activate the eligible plan.

Vodafone Red customers who can avail this Netflix free subscription are: Vodafone's Rs 1,299 RED postpaid plan, Rs 1,699 RED postpaid plan, RED 1,999 Unlimited and RED 2,999 Unlimited plan.

Vodafone Red

Vodafone RED is the company’s special postpaid plan under which it offers users a combination of low call rates, SMS, and data. The RED plans start at Rs 499 and go up to Rs 2,999.

Vodafone keeps refreshing its new offers to woo customers to opt for the RED postpaid plan. Last month, the company announced 'Vodafone RED Shield' initiative for its RED postpaid customers where it provided insurance cover of up to Rs 50,000 on newly purchased smartphones as well as those that were purchased till six months back. The insurance cover covered various scenarios such as theft cover, claimed by the company to be the only service that offered it, apart from basic handset damage cover.