Vodafone has announced free incoming calls on national roaming for all customers starting Diwali. According to industry analysts, Vodafone is trying to combat Reliance Jio to retain customers by offering free incoming calls.
Commenting on the development, Sandeep Kataria, Director – Commercial, Vodafone India revealed that as part of the on-going 200 million customer celebration, providing free incoming on national roaming will ensure that our customers do not think twice while traveling out of town.
In a statement, Vodafone said that staring from Diwali, all customers of Vodafone will be able to make calls without any worries of being billed wherever they go. The customers can talk for hours without any need to cut short conversations.
Kataria also added that even though outgoing charges while roaming had become comparable to home charges, consumer research has shown that incoming charges while roaming has been a hindrance to worry free usage.
To recall, Reliance Jio, which entered into the markets recently is offering free voice and data connectivity for all customers until December 31. This is applicable for outgoing calls as well. Industry insiders feel that the new plans offered by Jio are a big challenge for the entrenched players who derive a bulk of their revenue from the voice business.
Meanwhile, Government-controlled BSNL has already been offering free incoming call on national roaming since June 15, 2015. BSNL is also planning to launch a new 3G package in January to counterattack Reliance Jio. There are reports that BSNL is gearing up for a big investment push to stay focussed in the mobile arena.
