In the first test of its kind using all elements of a fibre broadband network Vodafone and Nokia’s research arm Nokia Bell Labs were able to demonstrate the benefits of a new Internet standard called L4S to simultaneously maintain a high throughput of data (customer traffic) and low latency, at Vodafone’s laboratory in Newbury, UK.

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Using a replica fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) link serving a standard laptop over a busy Wi-Fi broadband connection (simulating the worst-case peak load), the telecoms giants were able to reduce the response times, known as latency, when accessing an Internet site from 550 milliseconds (0.55 seconds) to just 12 milliseconds (0.012 seconds) whilst maintaining fast speeds.

The latency reduced to only 1.05 milliseconds (0.00105 seconds) when an ethernet cable was used in place of Wi-Fi.

Vodafone Head of Fixed Access Centre of Excellence, Gavin Young, said: “As a leading broadband provider, Vodafone aims to give customers a faster, more responsive, and reliable service unhindered by lag even during peak hours. L4S is an exciting technology with huge potential to achieve this goal, as well as deliver a more interactive and tactile internet experience for our customers.”

Nokia Bells Labs, Head of Network Systems and Security Research, Azimeh Sefidcon, added: “These highly encouraging results show that L4S will unshackle any real-time application that would normally be constrained by high latency.

“Video conferencing, cloud-gaming, augmented reality and even the remote operations of drones would run flawlessly across the internet, without experiencing any significant queuing delays.”

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Each Hub will have ill have a local territory in which it will offer an outsourced one-stop-shop for IT and communications managed services.

This includes support with hardware and applications, alongside connectivity and security.

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According to the telecoms giant, the target market for these outsourced units will be SMEs “who are resource-limited and don’t have their own internal IT support function available.”

However, the idea is that Vodafone Business IT Hubs will be limited companies trading under the Vodafone brand, and will employ their own local technicians, account managers and engineers.

They will also sell a number of Vodafone products and services alongside selected products from partner vendors.

The move comes as 37% of SMEs said they lacked the capacity to manage multiple ICT suppliers, contracts, and licences.

Meanwhile, 25%felt their current digital tools were not resilient enough to help protect their business from online threats including phishing, ransomware, and password hacking.

Vodafone Chief Data Officer & Head of Vodafone Business IT Hubs, Miryem Salah, said: “We know that business owners need to prioritise serving their customers and growing their business; in a busy world this doesn’t always leave the time or the resource to keep on top of their IT estate or manage multiple suppliers.

“At the same time, we know there are IT experts sat at their desks across the UK who have a dream of setting up their own businesses, but need some support to get started. That’s where we come in.”

Salah added: “We can offer our franchisees the capability, scale and confidence that comes from working with a large global brand, as well as finance and marketing support, while they can offer the technical skills and local knowledge to build a successful business that supports the local SME community.

“We’re excited to start this journey with our new franchisees in 2024 and beyond. I’d urge anyone with an interest to get in touch.”

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Taylor, who currently holds the position of Chief Commercial Officer, will take over from Ahmed Essam in his new role on 2 April 2024.

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He joined the telecoms giant in 2019 from EE, where he spent almost a decade at the company rising the ranks to become Managing Director of Commercial and Marketing, a post he held for over three years.

He also spent around six years at Orange, holding several positions including Head of Proposition Development, Head of Convergence and Head of 3G Marketing.

In a statement, the telecoms giant said: “Max brings a wealth of experience to his new role.

“Under his leadership as Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone UK has continued to grow its customer base, revenue, and margins, surpassing our competitors across various commercial metrics, with a strong focus on customer experience.”

Meanwhile, Essam will become Executive Chairman of Vodafone Germany and CEO of Vodafone’s European markets.

The news comes as Vodafone revealed it is to sell its Italian business to Swisscom for €8 billion, in a bid to simplify the UK-based telecoms group.

As part of the Italy deal, Vodafone will continue to provide certain services to Swisscom for up to five years.

Commenting on the announcement, Vodafone Group CEO, Margherita Della Valle, said: “Going forward, our businesses will be operating in growing telco markets – where we hold strong positions – enabling us to deliver predictable, stronger growth in Europe.

“This will be coupled with our acceleration in B2B, as we continue to take share in an expanding digital services market.

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The chatbot, which has been developed in partnership with Accenture UK, is built on ChatGPT architecture, in a bid to transform its digital customer services.

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According to the telecoms giant, the chatbot can engage in human-like interactions with customers and handle more sophisticated customer requests.

Meanwhile, the partnership with Accenture is part of a wider strategic initiative to accelerate the telco’s adoption of AI throughout the business.

Head of VOXI, Scott Currie, said: “We’re delighted to be the first UK telco to give our customers the chance to try this exciting new technology in an easy-to-use chatbot.

“By using the power of generative AI, we are not only helping to enhance customer support but are reinforcing VOXI’s commitment to innovation, and delivering on our ambition to offer the best customer experience in the market.”

Chatbot will initially be trialled with a small number of VOXI customers, with a view to a full rollout soon.

Accenture UK, Generative AI Lead, Mark Farbrace added: “VOXI is using generative AI to fundamentally reinvent its business. The customer experience is only the start of how this technology can be adopted at scale across the organisation.”

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According to the telecoms giant, a sale to Swisscom would deliver “the best combination of value creation, upfront cash proceeds and transaction certainty for Vodafone shareholders”

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The proposed deal, which Swisscom would pay in cash, would be valued at €8bn on an enterprise basis, the company revealed.

In a separate statement, Swisscom unveiled plans to merge Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its subsidiary in Italy. However, both companies said there can be no certainty that any transaction will ultimately be agreed upon, and a further announcement will be made if required.

Swisscom said the planned merger of the firms would “bring together complementary high-quality mobile and fixed infrastructures, competencies and capabilities to create a leading converged challenger”.

It stated:”The increased scale, more efficient cost structure and significant synergy potential would enable the combined entity to unlock value for all stakeholders.”

The move comes as Vodafone agreed to sell its Spanish business for up to €5bn to Zegona Communications in October last year.

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According to the telecoms giant, the app replaces many many time-consuming and costly manual tasks with new automated and digital services, allowing “SMEs to boost productivity, improve customer relations, and increase revenue”.

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These services include online booking and scheduling tools, a centralised hub for client information and a centralised hub for client information.

The launch comes as according to research by Vodafone, 84% of SMEs still rely on manual processes to fulfil daily tasks, like invoicing which on average equates to around 120 working hours a year for every business.

As a result, the app has been designed to help small businesses with limited resources cost-effectively digitalise key tasks whilst managing and growing their customer base.

Vodafone Business Interim CEO, Giorgio Migliarina, said: “Vodafone Business’ goal is to become the trusted partner for all companies, both small and large, on their digital journey.

“Our partnership with Vcita is part of our investment in the development of software, cloud, and cyber security products specifically for SMEs who are key to the future prosperity of our economies.”

Vcita CEO and Founder, Itzik Levy added: “With the Vodafone Business Management tool with vcita, Vodafone goes beyond the traditional role of a telecommunications provider and offers SMEs the ultimate digital business management solution that is critical to their success.

“We’re proud to be the technology provider powering this solution and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

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Vodafone and its biggest shareholder, e&, have partnered to provide other operators-managed voice solutions in a bid to help meet the growing demand for voice over 4G/5G (VoLTE) services.

According to the industry body the GSMA, VoLTE adoption is expected to increase to over 70% of global mobile connections by 2030, being filled by operators moving away from legacy networks in favour of 5G.

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As a result, the pair will provide operators with a “robust, scalable, and consistent managed voice service worldwide.”

They are also offering predictable costs, optimised inbound revenues, streamlined regulatory compliance, enhanced fraud protection, and seamless integration of innovative services through a cloud-based architecture.

Vodafone Procurement and Connectivity, CEO Ninian Wilson said: “Managing cross-border voice is increasingly complex due to new regulations, protecting against international scams, and the need to migrate to 5G services.

“Operators are seeking trusted partners to navigate these changes while growing their businesses. Vodafone’s strategic partnership with e& offers them a single point of contact and a dependable service globally during this transition to support them in managing changing business complexities.”

E& Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, Nabil Baccouche, added: “This collaboration between Vodafone and e& sets a new industry benchmark, extending beyond predictable cost and improved security. It focuses on empowering operators to confidently adapt to the evolving voice landscape.

“By leveraging our established capabilities, state-of-the-art platforms, and extensive industry knowledge, we provide operators with a definite way to achieve operational excellence.

“Working together, e& and Vodafone grant operators easy access to our combined skills and worldwide presence, enabling them to provide cutting-edge voice services, thereby seamlessly transforming their businesses for the future.”

However, the move follows Vodafone being ordered by the UK government to take steps to manage risks as it has concluded that e&’s stake in mobile giant poses national security risks amid government contracts and cyber security.

According to the UK Cabinet Office, Vodafone should form a national security committee to oversee work that could have an impact on security.

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Vodafone UK has revealed an “alarming” ‘connectivity chasm’ is opening between Europe and competing regions that could jeopardise the economic wellbeing of EU citizens and businesses, resulting in further decline.

According to a report by the telecoms giant titled Why Telecoms Matters, digitalisation of industry through 5G technologies represents the ‘fourth wave’ of the industrial revolution, with an estimated annual value of $2 trillion for the manufacturing sector alone.

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As a result, the move connects machines and applications with cloud-based intelligent services in a bid to revolutionise the industrial process.

The report also stated there is a lack of private investment in 5GSA (5G Standalone) infrastructures.

The lack of funds which amounts to billions of euros risks the widening of the lead of the US and China in crucial growth areas such as AI and cyber security.

Despite Europe facing challenges in hitting its 5G targets, the report also calls for the prioritisation of  5GSA deployment, which includes encompassing both core infrastructure and radio antennas in a bid to bridge the “connectivity chasm”.

“5GSA can herald an industrial internet age and restore Europe to growth,” Vodafone Chief External & Corporate Affairs Officer, Joakim Reiter said.

“Europe is on the cusp of a major innovation and productivity boost through next-generation 5GSA and the digitalisation it enables for businesses and the economy.”

He added: “Europe has a trillion-euro opportunity to digitalise its industry and compete globally, but this prize depends entirely on the speed of adoption.

“The five-year mandate of the next European Parliament and Commission must allow Europe to course correct, rebooting legacy telecoms regulation and creating a single market framework that attracts the investments needed to roll out 5GSA at pace.

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The UK government has ordered Vodafone to take steps to manage risks as it has concluded that UAE-based telecoms company e&’s stake in mobile giant poses national security risks amid government contracts and cyber security.

The move makes e& Vodafone’s largest shareholder, holding a 14.6% stake in the company.

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However, according to the UK Cabinet Office, Vodafone should form a national security committee to oversee work that could have an impact on security.

E& currently operates in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Vodafone since an initial investment in May 2022, however, in May last year, the pair agreed to announce their strategic relationship that “brings the two operators closer together in certain aspects of their businesses”.

As a result, the UK telecoms giant announced e&’s CEO Hatem Dowidar would join its board as a Non-Executive Director.

A Vodafone spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have received clearance in our home market for our strategic relationship agreement with e&, and for e& to take a seat on our board.”

READ MORE: Interview: Vodafone UK Brand & Marketing Director on ‘strategic’ brand positioning, sustainability and social responsibility

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Google, AT&T and Vodafone have invested $155 million in AST SpaceMobile.

The company has said the funds will help it accelerate its mission to close the global connectivity gap by bringing 5G broadband service from space to billions of people worldwide.

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Alongside the $155 million strategic investment, the company also plans to draw an additional $51.5 million from its existing senior-secured credit facility.

The industry giants join the likes of Rakuten and Nokia who helped the company make the first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between an unmodified smartphone, alongside existing investor Vodafone.

Alongside the new investors American Tower and Bell Canada have also backed AST SpaceMobile as part owners, technology partners and customers.

AST SpaceMobile CEO and Chairman Abel Avellan said: “Our vision at AST SpaceMobile has always been to chart a course of collaborative innovation and integration with the world’s leading wireless companies, which is why we are so thrilled to be welcoming this new strategic investment from AT&T, Google and Vodafone.”

“Each new partnership signifies that market leaders worldwide have tremendous confidence in our vision and ability to ensure that the future of cellular broadband is borderless.”

Vodafone Group CEO, Margherita Della Valle, continued: “Vodafone’s investment and collaboration with AST SpaceMobile will help make our mobile connectivity services available everywhere for our customers across Europe and Africa.

“Customers in remote rural areas, on land or out at sea, will be able to benefit from fast and reliable 5G broadband directly to their existing smartphones without the need for specialist equipment.”

Alongside the funding, Vodafone and AT&T have also placed purchase orders for network equipment from AST SpaceMobile to support planned commercial service.

AT&T EVP and Head of Network, Chris Sambar, concluded: “We’re excited to deepen our relationship with this investment as we continue to drive a first-of-its-kind innovation forward and work together to achieve this shared vision of space-based connectivity for consumers, businesses and first responders all around the globe.”

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