Vodafone today revealed through its company blog that it had modified its Infinite mobile plans to offer tethering to both iPhone and Android 2.2 users.
That is to say, customers will be able to use their phones as if they were mobile broadband modems to supply internet connection to other devices, such as laptops and tablets, without being charged additional fees. Apple’s iOS 4.3 and the 2.2 version of the Android platform allow customers to use their smartphones as a Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared with several other devices.
Yesterday a Vodafone spokesperson posted on the Whirlpool forum dedicated to the exclusion of tethering from the Infinite Plan to announce the change. “A quick update – as of 28/03/2011 tethering is an included call type on the Infinite plan. You will no longer be charged in addition to your plan,” Kirsty from Vodafone wrote. “You asked, we listened.”
Earlier this month, Lifehacker warned that tethering on Vodafone would have cost customers too much, as the Infinite plans made available in late 2010 did not include tethering, unlike rivals plans offered by Telstra and Optus.
“Australian customers generally don’t need to pay extra for tethering when using an iPhone 4 as a wireless hotspot,” Lifehacker reported. “But there’s one plan where you should be cautious: the Infinite plans launched by Vodafone last November.”
In fact, until this week, the Infinite Plans excluded tethering from its data allowance. Customers were thus being charged an additional rate of $0.25/MB for tethering on top of their monthly fees.
Image credit: Sony Ericsson