On Tuesday, Vodafone and Microsoft Corp. unveiled an expansive 10-year strategic partnership aimed at leveraging their strengths in providing scaled digital platforms to over 300 million businesses, public sector entities, and consumers in Europe and Africa. The collaboration involves the utilization of Microsoft’s generative AI to transform Vodafone’s customer experience, the expansion of Vodafone’s managed IoT connectivity platform, the development of new digital and financial services for businesses, especially SMEs, and a revamp of Vodafone’s global data center cloud strategy.
As part of the agreement, Vodafone commits to investing $1.5 billion in cloud and customer-focused AI services over the next decade, developed in collaboration with Microsoft. In reciprocation, Microsoft will make use of Vodafone’s fixed and mobile connectivity services. Furthermore, Microsoft plans to invest in Vodafone’s managed IoT connectivity platform, which is set to become a standalone business by April 2024. This new entity aims to attract partners and customers, fostering growth in applications and expanding its connectivity to encompass more devices, vehicles, and machines.
The digital services arising from this partnership will utilize cutting-edge generative AI technology to deliver highly personalized customer experiences across various channels. These services will adhere to unbiased and ethical privacy and security policies within Vodafone’s established framework for responsible AI. Vodafone Group Chief Executive, Margherita Della Valle, expressed the company’s commitment to the digital future of Europe and Africa, emphasizing the acceleration of digital transformation for business customers and improved customer experiences for consumers, especially SMEs.
Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, highlighted the significance of the partnership in unlocking substantial opportunities for organizations and industries globally. He expressed excitement about applying the latest cloud and AI technology alongside Vodafone to enhance customer experiences, create new products and services, and facilitate the company’s transition to the cloud.
