Refurbished Vodafone!

There are some very exciting things happening around Vodafone lately. Firstly, Vodafone has launched its HSDPA 3G broadband service along with two new broadband devices – the Vodem and HSDPA Mobile Connect Card. The new HSDPA service provides much faster connection speed than the previous Vodafone 3G broadband. It can reach a peak speed of 3.2Mbps with average speeds of 800kbps – 1.4Mbps.

The new Vodafone Vodem is a small device that connects your computer over the Vodafone 3G broadband network, so you can access the web or collect emails at broadband speeds. Its USB cable connects to any laptop or desktop, giving you total plug-and-play simplicity. It also looks good with a white cover and is very light - only weighing 50 grams. Click the link for more information and pricing of the Vodafone Vodem.

Vodafone has also updated its mobile connect card. The new Vodafone HSDPA Mobile Connect Card is a smaller size and works with the new HSDPA service. Click the link for more information and pricing of the Vodafone HSDPA Mobile Connect Card.

Now, you may be wondering how much the new service costs. It is $29.95 per month on Broadband Starter Plan (200MB per month) or $49.95 on Broadband Everyday Plan (1GB per month) if you sign a 24 months term contract. Alternatively, you can pay $10 more each month for a no-term contract.

By offering faster and cheaper broadband, Vodafone can really compete for broadband users with Telecom. Although Telecom’s landline broadband offers much more data allowance for the same price, Vodafone broadband is much more flexible and removable, especially for laptop users. Question - is Vodafone going to walk into the broadband market seriously? Yes, it is!

The second big news just announced is that Vodafone is buying the national internet provider ihug for NZ$41 million. Vodafone not only wants to dominate the mobile broadband market, but also wants to take part in the fixed-line territory. Currently Vodafone is the leader in the mobile market, however they only have 20% share of the overall telecommunication market. The purchase of ihug may just change this situation.