Aircel to offer free basic Internet across India in a year

New Delhi: Aircel subscribers can expect to access basic free Internet in a year as part of the telecom operator strategy to push mobile Internet usage. "Our intent is that everybody should have access to Internet and it should not be limited to only elites. We have started offering free basic Internet service in Tamil Nadu and it should be available across India in a year," said Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudev.

The company under its Free Basic Internet programme is offering service with download speed of 64 kb per second. "For new customers it is free for three months. After that if they continue to be active, customers by recharging with amount of at least Rs 150 in a month, the free basic Internet will be complimentary for them," Aircel Vice President for Data, Devices and Online Sunil Kuttam said.

The company is strengthening its 3G network with target to have around 20,000 mobile sites by end of next year. "At present data contributes around 14 per cent in our total revenue which we expect to take it to around 30 per cent in three years. With price of 3G handset coming down below Rs 3,000, people are moving to mobile for entertainment from TV and they Will need data for it," Vasudev said.

Talking about strategy to attract customers to enhance their data usage, Kuttam said that the company has partnered Microsoft, Samsung, Gionee, Micromax, Lava, Karbonn and Intex to offer their move devices at discounted price with some amount of free data.

"We are also partnering Snapdeal, Amazon and Flipkart to sell paper recharge. These recharges be sold under cash on delivery model for those customers who are skeptical of sharing their debit or credit card details online," Kuttam said.

The company announced sale of two recharge vouchers in denomination of Rs 402 and Rs 602 through Snapdeal which will offer 3G and 2G mobile Internet service at discounted price compared with options available through retail channels. "We are offering 100 minutes talk time and 3 GB of 3G and 2G data, depending on the location of subscriber, which is very less than price available through other channels," Vasudev said.

Aircel has also partnered Ingram, a mobile insurance provider, for Aircel Cover Plus. Any customer who buys a new smartphone through Aircel Will be able to choose from two variants of this product within seven days of the purchase for getting coverage limited to Accidental and Liquid Damage only.

For new smartphones up to Rs 10,000, customers can purchase Rs 499 pack that offers benefits worth Rs 1,200. This will also include 1GB Aircel data for three months. The other pack available for Rs 799 pack offers insurance for smartphones up to Rs 55,000 and will include 1GB data for three months and Premium Anti-Virus.