Vi offers free international roaming on select plans for up to 3 trips a year
Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Friday introduced free international roaming on select postpaid, prepaid and enterprise plans, allowing eligible customers to stay connected across more than 170 countries without purchasing a separate roaming pack.
The move comes amid growing competition among telecom operators to add value to premium plans.
Bharti Airtel has recently partnered with Apple to bundle iCloud+, Apple TV and Apple Arcade with its ₹999 and higher postpaid plans, without increasing tariffs.
Vi is offering the benefit for up to three international trips a year, with international data quotas and outgoing calling allowances varying by plan. Vi said the offering can result in savings of up to ₹9,000 annually for customers.
Vi’s plan to attract and retain customers
The move gives Vi a new proposition to attract and retain customers who travel internationally, particularly those on higher-value plans. By bundling international roaming into existing plans, the company is seeking to make its services more valuable to customers who travel abroad frequently.
Vi’s postpaid plans eligible for the benefit start at ₹501, while annual prepaid unlimited-data plans and enterprise plans starting at ₹451 are also covered.
Customers can activate the international roaming benefit through the Vi app by selecting eligible Roam-Free plans.
Roaming built into eligible Vi plans
Chief Marketing Officer Avneesh Khosla said the company was shifting from a model where customers buy roaming when they travel to one where international roaming is built into eligible Vi plans.
“At Vi, ‘Vi Pe Sab Hain VIP’ is more than a campaign. It is a promise we are bringing to life through meaningful interventions of ensuring inclusivity. Liberating international travel is the first among many. Traditionally, international roaming has meant buying a pack or an additional purchase of a new local SIM or a travel eSIM and mostly perceived as expensive,” Khosla said.
He added: “We are taking a disruptive approach by making international roaming as a built-in benefit on our key Vi plans. It is a simple but significant shift from ‘buy roaming when you travel’ to ‘your Vi number travels with you for free.’ This is exactly what ‘Vi Pe Sab Hain VIP’ stands for. Identifying a real customer pain point and solving it through a disruptive, meaningful benefit for every Vi consumer, making them feel valued.”
Vi said the offering is intended to make international roaming a built-in benefit for customers on eligible plans, rather than an additional purchase made before travelling.
Airtel’s plan
Meanwhile, Airtel’s partnership with Apple is aimed at giving customers an additional incentive to upgrade their existing plans. Through iCloud+, Airtel postpaid users can securely store, sync and access photos, files, passwords and contacts across their Apple devices.
