Vodafone targets pre-pay market

Vodafone is planning an assault on the consumer pay-as-you-go market in the busy run-up to Christmas, as its traditional strength in the corporate sector is set to come under pressure.

The UK mobile phone giant is planning its biggest push into pre-pay for over five years, according to company insiders, with a series of new package deals.

One market expert said the company had suffered in the pre-pay consumer market, "but over the next year it will be more important than the corporate market". Pre-pay makes up half of all mobile connections in the UK.

The new packages will be available from November, in time for Christmas, which the source said is a "crucial time for pay-as-you-go, as a third of all pre-pay handsets are sold in November and December".