Nokia has joined forces with Vodafone Essar to allow Indian customers to access high-speed internet on their mobile phones.

The two telecom majors will take off the collaboration with Nokia’s N97 handheld and will later cover other handsets as well.

As a part of the partnership, on purchase of Nokia N97, Vodafone will offer subscribers an exclusive free data plan, offering three months of free browsing Internet services 24×7.

This will allow customers to enjoy highly personalized media and applications on Vodafone’s EDGE networks.

“We are delighted to offer our customers even more choice with Nokia N97. We understand that a device like the Nokia N97 will enable greater internet connectivity, and hence we are coming up with special data plans to make accessing information on the net easier,” said Harit Nagpal, Director-Marketing and New Business, Vodafone Essar.

Furthering the comment, V Ramnath, Director of Operator Channels, Nokia India, said “The Internet is now an everyday part of people’s lives, something they can’t live without and devices such as the Nokia N97 give them greater freedom to be always switched on.”

This service is expected to be available in India by next week through all Vodafone Stores offering Nokia phones and Nokia retail outlets.

Nokia N-97 and Vodafone package is also available at the multi-brand outlets in over nine cities, namely, Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Nokia N97 is bundled with the first off personalized home screen and a unique combination of both 3.5 inch touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, and is referred to as personal computer.

The handset is tentatively priced at Rs. 34, 000.