Vodafone uses voiceless African plans to lure tech-savvy youth

Johannesburg

INSIDE a packed Vodafone Group Plc store in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, a group of the city's tech-savvy students wait in line for wireless modems they hope will transform their ability to surf the Internet. They don't even care that they won't be able to get a voice plan to talk over the British mobile operator's network since Vodafone doesn't have a licence for that.

"The coming of Vodafone is long overdue," Anthony Kambeu, 25, a student at University of Zambia, said outside the store, which opened in June. "The other networks have been exploiting us - poor service, high prices, everything." Mr Kambeu said the Vodafone packages are good value even without voice, although he hopes the company will eventually be able to provide that as well.