mobile broadband

ASA Complains against Vodafone Mobile Broadband Booster Ad

The UK Advertising Standards Authority known as ASA has upheld several complaints made by T-Mobile and O2 against a poster advert for Vodafone. It is about the Sure Signal indoor mobile phone and mobile broadband reception boosting device.

The poster made for Vodafone showed a user leaning out of a window to get better reception on their mobile. As the ad stated with the words "Only Vodafone can guarantee mobile signal in your home", it left room for comment. View the vodafone website here.

The device costs £50 (or may be paid about £5 a month) and it works like this: it uses your fixed line broadband ISP to link with Vodafone and thus distributes a far stronger signal indoors.

Here are the complaints:

Firstly, it was objected that the ad was somewhat misleading as it did not really make clear that in order to use Sure Signal one needs 3G set and broadband.

Secondly, the claim ?can guarantee mobile signal? was not very reassuring.

It was also challenged whether the ad sounded misleading for trying to imply that Vodafone is superior to other networks. Is Vodafone able to guarantee coverage to all customers?

Even if it were, the ad was about a particular product, not Vodafone service as a whole. And why did they not mention additional costs for the service? The inquiry continues.