Vodafone drops 3G card price

Mobile service provider Vodafone has reduced the rice of its Vodafone Mobile Connect (VMC) 3G data card with the anticipation of further growth in the wireless broadband market.

The VMC card is now $299, down from $399. Monthly subscription fees begin from $29.95 for 100MB, $49.95 for 300MB, and $99.95 for unlimited data. Excess data rates are 0.2 cents per kilobyte.

This gives customers access to the Internet from anywhere within Vodafone's 3G network. VMC with 3G enables workers to stay connected at broadband speeds of up to 384kbps. Roaming to 16 other international 3G destinations within Vodafone's network is also supported.

Vodafone Australia's general manager of business markets, Mark Iles said mobile broadband is changing the way people work because there's no longer a need to be bound to an assigned location.

"VMC with 3G allows you to [work] anywhere within 3G and GPRS coverage areas, whenever is convenient," Iles said.

Vodafone's 3G services are available in metropolitan Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and at airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The network is expanding to cover metropolitan Brisbane and the Gold Coast in late March before moving to Adelaide and Perth later this year.