Vodafone starts free three-month unlimited data trial

Network operator Vodafone is allowing its contract customers to use as much data as they like for three months in order to promote the use of data services, such as downloading apps and using other internet-connected features of a smartphone.

The scheme, called Data Test Drive, launched on Saturday and is available to new or upgrading smartphone customers. Subscribers in the middle of a contract will need to wait until it is time to renew before being allowed their three-month trial.

"The latest smartphones allow people to do more with their mobile phone than ever before. We want customers to really play with their new handset and Data Test Drive will give them the confidence to find the apps they love and features they will use regularly," Srini Gopalan, consumer director for Vodafone UK, said in a statement.

The Data Test Drive comes as an unlimited trial, meaning that users can use as much data as they like without fear of going over their normal contract limits. A Vodafone UK spokesman told ZDNet UK that the trial was "completely unlimited", including using a smartphone as a mobile Wi-Fi access point, or tethered to a computer. However, it does not include use of data services while roaming, he added.

At the end of the three-month period, Vodafone said it will tell customers how much data they have used and advise whether their current contract is the best fit for their needs.