Vodafone offers unlimited mobile internet access

New monthly price plans from Vodafone will now come with unlimited mobile internet access as standard, to take advantage of the growing popularity of email and social networking on mobile devices.

Pay monthly customers will no longer have to buy an additional internet bundle for 7.50, with every plan now automatically including internet access.

It will make Vodafone the first mobile phone operator to offer a flat rate monthly tariff with a flat rate monthly tariff. The company looks keen to grab as much of an advantage as possible to compete in a very crowded market.

"Our customers want simplicity and services that are easy to select, buy and use," said Ian Shepherd, director of consumer at Vodafone UK.

"Today with our new price plans, Vodafone customers will have the confidence to browse for as long as they need with no extra costs when they are checking their email, visiting their favourite social networking sites or making a final bid on eBay."

Vodafone said that since launching the internet on mobiles it has witnessed a huge growth in the appetite for using services such as email, instant messaging and social networking on the move. The access is subject to a fair usage policy of 500MB per month.

The top three mobile sites on Vodafone Mobile Internet were Facebook, Google and the BBC.