Vodafone Group Plc yesterday responded to Cellnet Mobile Communications Ltd’s initiative to target low-volume telephone users that would not normally consider cellular because of the price with its own set of options for non-business customers. Under the new scheme, which will come in before the end of the year, the company will charge a signing-on fee of UKP30 and UKP15 a month rental, a 40% reduction on the current standard business tariff, and hike call charges for those that sign for the new service. The call charges under the new tariff are 54 pence a minute for a local call between 7am and 8pm within the M25 London orbital motorway, 46p a minute elsewhere, compared with 33p and 25p respectively under the business tariff. Weekday off peak charges will be 15p a minute both inside and outside of the M-25, while weekend charges will be 23p a minute outside the M25 and 27p a minute inside. All these charges are 10p a minute under the business tariff. Customers will be able to join the new service through Vodafone’s existing service providers, who will sell handsets for UKP250. The low user tariff is our initial attempt to open up the non-business market and will be followed by further initiatives in 1993, the company said – next year, the company is to launch its Micro Cellular Network Groupe Speciale Mobile digital cellular service in some parts of the country. The increased capacity on the new network is expected to make it possible to cut local call prices and reduce line rentals.
