Vodafone Idea expands ‘Vi Guarantee Program' to offer extra validity to 2G users
Vodafone Idea
(Vi) on Tuesday launched the '
Vi Guarantee Program
', under which it will credit an extra validity of 24 days over 12 months, ensuring these users can seamlessly access voice and data services.
Vi said the benefit of 24 days extra validity will be credited over a 12-month period, wherein two days extra validity will be credited with every unlimited voice recharge pack of ₹199 and above.
Today's announcement comes close on the heels of Vi saying it will expand its commercial fifth-generation (5G) services to 23 more cities nationwide.
The Vi Guarantee programme aims to address a long-standing challenge faced by voice-only or low data usage prepaid customers, which is the need to recharge again within the same month. With traditional 28-day packs, customers often recharge twice in a single calendar month or sometimes continue with interrupted service.
'With the introduction of Vi Guarantee, customers will now get 30 days of service validity instead of the usual 28 days, enabling one recharge per month,' India's third-largest telco said.
MRP(in ₹)Pack benefitsPack benefits for Assam, North East, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir & RajasthanPack ValidityExtra Validity benefit of Vi Guarantee199Unlimited Calls + 2GB + 300SMSUnlimited Calls + 3GB + 300SMS28 Days2 Days209Unlimited Calls + 2GB + 300SMS + Caller TunesUnlimited Calls + 3GB + 300SMS + Caller Tunes28 Days2 Days
Even on recharges with longer than 28-day validity, the additional two days will help bridge gaps in the recharge cycle, ensuring convenience and uninterrupted service.
Analysts estimate that India has about 250-300 million telecom subscribers using basic or keypad phones that support 2G only.
The Vi Guarantee Program is valid on Vi prepaid packs priced at ₹199 and ₹209, which offer unlimited calls, 2GB data, and 300 SMSes.
Pack benefits for Assam, North East, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir & Rajasthan circles include unlimited calls, 3GB data, and 300 SMSes. The ₹209 pack additionally offers caller tunes benefit.
The telco had originally launched the Vi Guarantee programme for 4G and 5G customers last year, offering a total of 130GB extra data over one year, with 10GB being credited automatically every 28 days for 13 consecutive cycles. To avail of this, customers will need to be on daily data unlimited plans of ₹299 and above.
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The company had increased its 4G coverage to 83% as of March-end from 77% a year ago." New CEO's challenges Prior to taking on the role of chief operating officer (COO), he headed the company's enterprise business as the chief enterprise business officer. He has also been the circle business head for Gujarat and Kerala circles, where he successfully launched the first 4G in India. 'When you pick up someone from inside, you try to weigh the fact that the person is an insider and knows the business. Looking at Vodafone Idea, which is behind the competition and facing financial challenges, it will be a tough task for the new CEO to turn around the company," said Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at Techarc, a technology market research firm. According to Kawoosa, the task before the new CEO would be to convince lenders or investors to get funds and take up financial discipline measures within the company to stay afloat. Outgoing CEO Moondra, who was chief financial officer (CFO) at Idea Cellular from June 2008 to August 2018, played a crucial role in stitching the Vodafone-Idea merger in 2018. The deal took place during one of the most turbulent periods for India's telecom sector when Mukesh Ambani-led Jio rolled out unlimited 4G plans and slashed data rates, forcing Airtel and other rivals to follow suit.
