Vodafone, Flipkart Partner to Offer Entry-Level 4G Smartphones at Effective Price of Rs. 999

HIGHLIGHTS

Vodafone partners with Flipkart to offer a range of 4G smartphonesEffective price comes after receiving cashbacksA minimum recharge worth Rs. 150 is required to avail cashback

Vodafone on Wednesday tied up with Flipkart to bring a range of entry-level 4G smartphones to India at an effective price of Rs. 999. The latest partnership comes months after the telco partnered with Micromax and China's Transsion Group-owned Itel Mobile to make their entry-level options even more affordable. All existing and new Vodafone prepaid subscribers can avail the new offer, which is available under Flipkart's #MyFirst4GSmartphone campaign, and get cashbacks to make their purchases sweeter than before.

To avail the new offer, Vodafone subscribers who purchase an eligible smartphone from Flipkart will need to recharge their prepaid accounts with a minimum denomination of Rs. 150 per month for 36 months. The recharges can be of any denomination totalling to at least Rs. 150 per month. At the end of the first 18-month period, the participating subscribers will receive a cashback worth Rs. 900, while after another 18 months, a cashback worth Rs. 1,100 will be given - totalling the cashback of Rs. 2,000. It is worth noting here that the cashback will be credited to their Vodafone M-Pesa wallets.

"This is an initiative to make 4G smartphones available at a never before price points and thus, democratize access to Vodafone SuperNet 4G. We hope that this will help fulfill the aspirations of several million phone users across the country who desire a smartphone but couldn't afford one. It will also encourage current non-users of 4G to upgrade and enjoy a richer user experience with Vodafone SuperNet 4G," said Avneesh Kholsa, Associate Director - Consumer Business, Vodafone India, in a joint press statement.

Smartphone models that are eligible for the Vodafone offer are from brands such as Micromax, iVoomi, Yu Televentures, Xolo, Intex, Swipe, and Alcatel. These include the Micromax Vdeo 2, Micromax Spark 4G, Xolo Era 3X, Xolo Era 1X Pro, Intex Aqua A4, and Intex Aqua 5.5 VR+. The full list of smartphones can be seen on the Flipkart Vodafone offer page. The offer will run until March 31 and will require customers to have a valid Vodafone prepaid SIM card.

In last October, Vodafone announced a similar partnershipwith Micromax that was strategically designed to take on Jio Phone by offering the Bharat-2 Ultra 4G-capable feature phone at an effective price of Rs. 999. The telecom operator also expanded its relationship with the Indian smartphone maker in November and offered Rs. 2,200 cashback on the Micromax Bharat 2 Plus, Micromax Bharat 3, Micromax Bharat 4, and the Micromax Canvas 1. Last month, it further expanded its focus towards the same avenue and partnered with Itel Mobile to launch the Itel A20 with an effective price of Rs. 1,590.

Similar to Vodafone, Bharti Airteland BSNL also brought their effective price-carrying smartphone versions. In December, Airtel partnered with Intex to launch the Intex Aqua Lions N1 for an effective price of Rs. 1,649 under its Mera Pehla Smartphone initiative, while BSNL in October brought the Micromax Bharat 1 as a rival against Rs. 999 Jio Phone.