Vodafone to stop charging extra for mobile internet

Drops £7.50 a month charge for contract customers

1 May 2008 9:01 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Vodafone has changed the way it structures its price plans to include access to the Internet and email on their mobile as an integral part of the monthly price plan, up to a 500MB per month limit.

The move means that pay monthly customers will no longer need to buy an additional internet bundle for £7.50 but instead every plan will automatically include internet access.

Price plans start at £25 and customers who select a £40 or higher price plan will also for the first time have the choice of unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls or unlimited Vodafone to Vodafone calls.

Vodafone says since launching its mobile internet service last summer consumers' appetite for email, instant messaging, and social networking as well as more general services such as Google search has grown.

Favourites for customers include quick access to Facebook, MySpace or Bebo to share pictures and news, YouTube to check out videos on the move, and fast connections to eBay to make that last minute bid, the operator says.