Vodafone claims one million 4G 'devices'

Vodafone Hutchison Australia is claiming a million "devices" connected to its 4G network as aggressive pricing and marketing begins to turn around its fortunes.

The telco said it was adding "devices" to the 4G network at a rate of 30,000 units a week, but did not specify how this related to customer acquisition numbers.

“As much as some detractors joke about Vodafone’s well-known network issues in 2010, the fact is in 2014, Vodafone’s networks, both 3G and 4G, are offering consistent fast, reliable data speeds," chief marketing officer Kim Clarke said.

The telco has been particularly aggressive in its marketing of its 4G network, at one point drawing the legal ire of rival Telstra.

More recently, it has been pushing new customer sign-ups by offering "double data" quota on plans for a limited time. Customers on existing contracts did not receive the extra quota.

Vodafone claimed in its statement that "customers are returning to its network in droves". 

The Australian Financial Review reported last weekend that Vodafone achieved its first net increase in customers for two years in December 2013.

However, no figures have been provided as to the number of new customer sign-ups — as opposed to "devices" — on a weekly basis, nor how many customers continue to exit the brand.

Former CEO Bill Morrow told journalists as late as October last year they should expect to see "some big numbers" of customer losses continue for at least the short term.

Vodafone's customer base has taken a hammering and shrunk massively in recent years, after widely publicised network problems.