All aboard to ride the high-speed Vodafone expresscard

Vodafone Mobile Connect E800 Express card fits the latest generation laptops

Vodafone Australia has released the Vodafone Mobile Connect E800 Expresscard, designed to fit the latest laptops featuring the new expresscard 3/4 slot. The VMC E800 Expresscard also includes an adaptor to ensure compatability with the larger PCMCIA slot.

The E800 Expresscard operates on Vodafone’s 3G broadband (HSDPA) network, which is currently capable of download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps* (users can regularly enjoy real-time speeds of between 600kbps to 1.5Mbps, with increased reliability and lower latency on data connectivity). The E800 Expresscard is capable of supporting download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps.

Ideal for active professionals who want to eliminate ‘dead time’ while out of the office, the E800 Expresscard will be available from selected Vodafone stores around the country from today and is priced at $299.00 (incl. GST). Alternatively, customers can get the new device free if they sign up to either the Data 1GB or Data 2GB plan on either a 12-month or 24-month contract. Vodafone’s monthly data bundles are, in some cases, less than half the price of major rivals and additionally, Vodafone utilises tried and tested optimisation software that compresses around 30 per cent of data throughput. Optimisation helps to reduce costs through increased efficency and delivers data faster to customers (full table of data plans over page).

Edward Goff, General Manager Business Markets at Vodafone Australia, comments: “The mobile broadband market is our fastest growing business category. Vodafone continues to offer the widest range of mobile broadband solutions and our data bundles offer outstanding value for money. Vodafone customers will never need to roam onto a competitor network, so they gain more certainty and predictability in their monthly spend."

Vodafone Australia recently upgraded its 3G network to High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), 3G broadband, capable of delivering download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps to all the major business centres in Australia (full coverage maps available on www.vodafone.com.au). This is part of an ongoing network enhancement that will see the Vodafone 3G broadband network upgraded to the 7.2Mbps standard.

Vodafone 3G broadband delivers peak upload data rates of 384kbps with real-time speeds expected to average around 250kbps, which is particularly relevant to business customers that frequently send emails with attachments while out of the office. If a customer moves outside an area that supports Vodafone’s 3G broadband (HSDPA) network, the E800 Expresscard will default to Vodafone’s existing GPRS service.

Data bundles
Vodafone is offering a choice of four data bundles, available on a 12 or 24-month contract. Vodafone’s mobile broadband data pricing is predictable, with the same charging within Australia no matter whether customers are using the 3G broadband or GPRS networks.

For customers travelling overseas on business, Vodafone customers benefit from simple and controllable pricing plans covering 66 countries worldwide. Vodafone customers are charged a flat 1 cent per kb download with a 10kb minimum session charge no matter what their destination or network within the 66 countries.

On Contract customers (12 or 24 months)

Data Bundle - Cost per month - Cost of E800 Expresscard
Data 100MB - $19.95 - $299
Data 300MB - $39.95 - $299
Data 1GB - $59.95 - FREE
Data 2GB - $79.95 - FREE

Where data usage exceeds the allocated amount, contract customers wil be charged 10c/MB.

Minimum costs and early termination charges for termination within the contract term apply. Included data is only available for the month and will not roll over.

For further information on Vodafone 3G Broadband, visit www.vodafone.com.au

Media Contacts:
Greg Spears, Vodafone Australia, Head of Corporate Communications
Email: greg.spears@vodafone.com, mobile: 0406 315 014
Dominic Hilton-Foster, Vodafone Australia, PR Manager Business Markets
Email: dominic.hilton-foster@vodafone.com, mobile: 0405 703 495
Laura Keith, Pulse Communications for Vodafone Australia
Email: laura@pulsecom.com.au, mobile: 0405 534 955

Notes:

Speeds stated are available where circumstances permit. Please keep in mind factors such as coverage, location, a users hardware and software, the source of your download and general network and internet traffic, which will impact actual speeds experienced.
3G broadband (HSDPA) network available in metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, the Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast, Adelaide and Perth, plus all international airports in Australia. Outside 3G broadband areas, Vodafone's GPRS network is available in 92% of the places you live and work in Australia. See vodafone.com.au/coverage for details. Subject to network availability.
You will be liable for your monthly access fee on a pro rata basis from the date you connect to the Data Bundle until your 1st full billing cycle. Actual charges may vary on your statement as each charge is rounded to the nearest cent before GST is included.
Your included data is only available for the month and will not roll over. Usage over included data is charged at 10c per MB. Data included is for use in Australia only.
Free Expresscard available to approved customers who connect to the $59.95 or $79.95 Data Bundle for 24 months. Minimum monthly spend is $59.95 or $79.95 (respectively) and minimum cost to the customer over 24 months is $1438.80 or $1918.80 (respectively) excluding any additional device repayments (if applicable), additional or excluded service costs. Early Exit Fee of $15 x months left on the 24 month contract applies if not connected for 24 months.

About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile telecommunications group with equity interests
in 27 countries and 33 partners across 5 continents. The company provides quality services to 3.68
million Australian customers and has more than 200 million proportionate customers worldwide.

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All aboard to ride the high-speed Vodafone expresscard