Vodafone joins forces with Microsoft in AI and digital services with an investment of 1,370 million in ten years

MADRID, 16 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

British telecommunications operator Vodafone and technology giant Microsoft have announced that they will form a new strategic partnership over the next decade to bring generative AI, digital services and the cloud to more than 300 million businesses and consumers in Europe and Africa.

In this way, Vodafone will invest 1.5 billion dollars (1.37 billion euros) over the next 10 years in cloud- and customer-focused artificial intelligence services developed together with Microsoft, which will use Vodafone's fixed and mobile connectivity services. .

In turn, Microsoft intends to invest in Vodafone's managed IoT connectivity platform, which will become a standalone business by April 2024 with the aim of attracting new partners and customers, driving application growth and expanding the platform to connect more devices, vehicles and machines.

"This unique strategic partnership with Microsoft will accelerate the digital transformation of our business customers, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, and improve the quality of customer experience for consumers," said Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone.

For his part, Satya Nadella, president and CEO of Microsoft, pointed out that this new generation of AI will unlock enormous new opportunities for all organizations and all industries in the world.

"Together with Vodafone, we will apply the latest cloud and artificial intelligence technology to improve the customer experience of hundreds of millions of people and businesses in Africa and Europe, create new products and services and accelerate the enterprise's transition to the cloud," he added.