Indian manufacturer Datawind is joining hands with network operator Telenor to give away free unlimited internet browsing for up to one year. The offer will be applicable across the brand’s entire range of low-cost devices.
Telenor currently has a presence in 6 circles across India namely Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar and Jharkhand, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. All Datawind users in those regions will be able to take up the new scheme. PTI reports the company is also offering free one-year internet through Reliance Communications.
There’s no word on what sites will be accessible through the new enterprise. Reliance allowed access to over 33 websites, social networking apps and email services. Datawind’s CEO and President Suneet Singh Tuli thinks the initiative will make the internet more accessible to millions of Indians and hopes it will strengthen the position of the brand in the affordable market segment.
Telenor’s Grameenphone recently launched a similar free internet project in Bangladesh. Customers using the network get 20MB of free data every day in exchange for watching one advertisement. The company recently rebranded itself in India and has been trying to position itself as a customer-centric entity.
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It initially entered the nation in partnership with Unitech Wireless and was named Uninor. The latter exited the brand last year. Telenor has since acquired a 100% stake in the company. Along with the free internet scheme, it has also extended its call drop compensation plan to include STD and ISD calls. It earlier offered the plan only for local calls.
Telenor is currently the only brand in the country to offer its customers reimbursements for dropped calls. The Norway-based network provider ranks fourth in revenue and customer market share. Joining forces with Datawind might well lead to it becoming a bigger player in India.