Solutions based onartificial intelligence and on modern generative models they are becoming the undisputed protagonists of the activities of professionals and companies. The enormous potential unlocked for some time now, transferred into the hands of private users as well as realities enterpriseis also seized by a telecommunications operator of the caliber of Vodafone that with Microsoft has decided to establish a ten-year strategic partnership.
On the one hand, Vodafone will invest 1.5 billion dollars over the next ten years services cloud and customer-focused artificial intelligence, developed together with Microsoft. Furthermore, Microsoft will use Vodafone’s fixed and mobile connectivity services.
The collaboration aims to enhance the platform Internet of Things (IoT) of Vodafone, to develop new digital and financial services for companies, to accelerate the operator’s cloud transformation through a modernization of data centers through Microsoft Azure.
Collaboration between Vodafone and Microsoft involves over 300 million subjects
In presenting the foundations on which the partnership between Vodafone and Microsoft will develop, the two companies explain that the collaboration will exploit the respective skills of the two companies in offering digital platforms at scale, involving over 300 million businesses, public sector organizations and consumers in Europe and Africa.
One of the main objectives is to transform the Vodafone customer experience through the use ofGenerative AI by Microsoft. Technology will be leveraged in order to deliver personalized experiences and differentiated across all customer touchpoints, including the TOBi digital assistant, available in 13 countries. Furthermore, Vodafone employees will be able to take advantage of the capabilities of the digital assistant Microsoft Copilot to transform working practices, increase productivity and improve digital efficiency.
Great commitment to developing the business of advanced solutions for the IoT world
As mentioned at the beginning, a key point of the collaboration concerns the IoT segment. Microsoft will invest in the new one managed connectivity platform that Vodafone has developed to support the operation and communications of smart devices. This initiative is intended to attract new partners and customers, stimulating application growth and expanding the platform to connect more devices, vehicles and machines.
Clear testimony to how much Vodafone believes in supporting IoT solutions and in the new scenarios that open up following the integration of modern generative models, derives from the fact that starting from April 2024 the company will found a separate companyspecialized precisely in this new line of business.
Leverage the European data centers of Microsoft, which announced that it will keep all user data within member state borders under the program EU Data Boundary, will allow the Vodafone group to increase responsiveness towards customers, simplifying and reducing the operating costs of the IT park. The operation will replace several physical data centers with virtual versions across Europe, thus reducing the operating costsenergy requirements and adhering to its sustainable business strategy.
Vodafone as the leading platform for businesses in Europe
After the handshake between Satya NadellaCEO of Microsoft, and Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group, the company underlines the ultimate goal, namely that of consolidating Vodafone’s position as the main platform for businesses in Europe, supporting approximately 24 million SMEs. The idea is to propose a managed solution that grows with each company’s business.
Margherita Della Valle wanted to highlight that “Unique strategic partnership with Microsoft will accelerate the digital transformation of enterprise customers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, and improve the quality of customer experience for consumers“.
Nadella echoes her: “this new generation of AI will unlock enormous opportunities for every organization and every industry around the world. We are excited to apply the latest cloud and AI technologies together with Vodafone to improve the customer experience of hundreds of millions of people and businesses in Africa and Europe, developing new products and services and accelerating the business transition to the cloud“.
Yes, because at the center of the close collaboration between Vodafone and Microsoft there is not only the Old Continent but also theAfrica, increasingly at the center of the development plans of many Western companies. Here, the intention is first and foremost to extend M-Pesa, already today the largest financial technology platform on the continent, using Azure. The partnership targets approximately 100 million consumers and 1 million SMEs through digital literacy programs, training and youth initiatives. The initiative will also bring digital services to the unserved SME market.