Vodafone Group Plc today announces the launch of Eurocall Platinum, a new Eurocall option which has been developed to help reduce the cost of calls for high volume roaming customers. Eurocall Platinum builds on the success of Eurocall, Vodafone’s single rate European price plan, launched in January 2001.

Customers pay a monthly fee up to EUR 10, which gives them access to a maximum flat roaming rate of EUR 0.65 per minute. The rate applies to Vodafone partner network customers who originate calls when roaming to any country within Western Europe. The existing basic Eurocall tariff rate is currently charged at a maximum of EUR 0.80, when the participating Vodafone partner network is used.

Vodafone customers in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden will today be able to register for Eurocall Platinum. The service will be extended to SFR customers in France from 15 October 2002 and to Vodafone UK customers by 1 November 2002.

The Eurocall Platinum option comes with a free upgrade to an assisted roaming SIM which automatically seeks to connect customers to the local Vodafone partner network. The Eurocall Platinum price, like Eurocall, will be single rate and have no peak and off-peak periods.

Thomas Geitner, Chief Executive, Vodafone Global Products & Services, commented: “The launch of Eurocall Platinum is a further example of Vodafone’s ability to deliver European services that directly benefit our customers. Through Eurocall Platinum, customers who are frequent users of our roaming services will now be able to stay in touch across Europe at even better prices.”

Insight

This will only be of interest to a small percentage of high spending, frequently travelling business users, but is a first step towards an expected harmonisation of roaming rates across Europe. Rather than trying to protect their high margin international roaming businesses, operators should realise that making such services more accessible to the masses would lead to much greater overall returns.

Support is growing for an EC investigation into the high call termination rates in Europe. Operators should cut their prices and secure a marketing victory before the regulatory system forces them to do it anyway.