Vodafone targets Australian SME market with business centres: First centre to open in Adelaide

Looking to leverage the potential of small businesses in boosting demand, Vodafone Australia is targeting small and medium sector enterprises with its business centres. To leverage the opportunity the telco has announced the opening of its first business centre in Adelaide.

This was announced by Vodafone's enterprise business executive general manager Stuart Kelly while talking to Sky News. He said the strategy is to increase the share of small business market and add more corporate customers to Vodafone’s mobile network.

Growth plan

Meanwhile, Vodafone Hutchison Australia chief executive Inaki Berroeta also unveiled some grand plans to lure more mobile phone customers, with the confidence that plans such as free international calls and more download data will accelerate customer acquisition despite competition from Telstra and Optus.

On Aug 19, Vodafone Australia announced the plans to offer unlimited national calls and text messages for pre-paid and post-paid customers. The new plan will allow customers buying SIM-only plans worth more than AU$50 per month and post-paid customers spending more than AU$80 a month, to get unlimited calls to 10 countries, including China, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Sporting content

Berroeta's announcements also coincided with Telstra chief executive Andy Penn’s assertion that his telecommunications company, which is Australia's biggest, would leave no stone unturned in making sure that the nation has the best mobile network. Vodafone Australia is aiming to gain a firm foothold in the mobile telecom market, where market leader Telstra is ramping up investments in mobile networks and content partnerships. Telstra recently gained the exclusive live mobile-streaming rights and digital replay rights of Australian Football League matches over the next six years for AU$2.5 billion in a broadcast rights package deal with Seven West Media and News Corp, reports SMH.

However, the Vodafone Australia CEO played it down and said his company is not interested in buying Australian sporting rights for his customers. "Sports rights in this market will evolve to more of an online proposition in the coming years. We'll continue delivering our services, we have our content and on the sports for now we're not interested in that front,” Berroeta said.

The CEO said Vodafone’s focus will be to increase customers and revenues. “This is what we said we were going to do, this is what we wanted to do and this is why our shareholders are quite happy with the way the business is performing,” he added.

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