Entrepreneurship

Vodafone: Vodafone and Google deepen strategic partnership with a ten-year contract worth more than one billion dollars

October 8, 2024. Vodafone and Google announced on October 8 a ten-year strategic extension of their existing partnership to deliver new services, devices and TV experiences powered by Google Cloud and Google’s Gemini models to millions of Vodafone customers in Europe and Africa.

Photo: Vodafone

Pioneering improved customer experiences

A key focus of the Vodafone and Google partnership is to help consumers take advantage of the latest hardware and digital technologies, including AI and cloud-based applications. Vodafone and Google will work together to improve and expand the range of products and services available in-store and online, supported by a refreshed customer experience based on the benefits of AI. Google and Vodafone are working to enable Vodafone to offer consumers YouTube subscription products and Google One subscription plans, such as storage plans and premium AI plans, alongside a range of Pixel and other Android devices.

Vodafone and Google will work to enhance Vodafone TV (which is based on Android TV) by leveraging Google Cloud’s advanced Gen AI capabilities to provide additional content discovery, rewards and offers features, as well as content monetization with Google Ad Manager to provide a better advertising experience. The teams are also exploring a more deeply integrated YouTube experience on Vodafone TV devices.

Digital transformation and security: powered by Gen-AI from Google Cloud

Vodafone and Google Cloud already have a successful track record of collaboration. The companies have jointly created a data repository (Data Lake) that hosts Vodafone’s data and existing AI and data analytics services in Google Cloud to ensure maximum security and compliance with regulatory requirements. As part of the expanded partnership, Vodafone will use Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s AI platform for business, to build, deploy and scale machine learning models and AI applications based on Google’s Gemini models. This will help increase the speed and simplicity with which Vodafone’s operating companies in multiple countries can innovate and bring new products to market.

Through this partnership, Vodafone aims to offer its business customers enhanced cyber protection with its own soon-to-be-developed cloud-native cyber security solution, leveraging Google Cloud’s Security Operations Platform. It will provide security incident and event management and the latest software-based protection tools. Vodafone will also use Google Cloud’s Security Operations Platform in the development of certain products and services to ensure that they are secure by design and ensure customers’ online safety.

The two companies intend to jointly promote the use of universal industry standards in areas such as online security, responsible AI development, network performance and interoperability to achieve economies of scale in industrial efficiency, drive innovation and improve public services at scale. Through this partnership, Vodafone will bring AI-powered cloud, content and connectivity services to more people.

Editor’s note

Main benefits of the partnership between Vodafone and Google include:

Empowering consumers with AI: Vodafone intends to make it easier for consumers to experience the power of AI through a wider range of AI-powered Google Pixel devices and other Android phones in conjunction with its fast 5G network across Europe. Vodafone will also help customers learn about AI capabilities through enhanced online guides, dedicated in-store experiences and freshly trained staff.
Offering a premium TV platform: Vodafone and Google will work to ensure Vodafone TV customers receive AI-generated searches and recommendations for personalized TV content, apps and rewards. This builds on the news from 2023 that Vodafone’s launch of Android TV became the platform of choice for Vodafone TV, which is now available in seven countries. This collaboration will also enable Vodafone to optimize its infrastructure using Google Cloud’s Gen AI capabilities and unlock new opportunities in advertising and market expansion. Google Ad Manager will serve as the main platform for monetizing Vodafone’s addressable TV inventory and providing users with a better advertising experience.
Bringing cloud and AI to consumers: Google and Vodafone plan to offer Vodafone customers a range of services powered by advanced cloud-based AI. This may include photo, video and file storage with Google One, as well as Google One AI Premium with Gemini Advanced for those who want the added power of Google’s most powerful AI models. The parties are also working to expand the availability of subscription-based YouTube services for Vodafone customers. All of these services will be supported by Vodafone’s extensive fixed and mobile networks in the territory.
Digital transformation and security: powered by Google Cloud’s generative AI
Expanding Google Cloud supported enterprise services: Google and Vodafone will expand their existing cloud partnership. Google is already the public cloud provider for all of Vodafone’s analytics, including anonymized and aggregated big data, business intelligence, marketing and network analytics. Vodafone will use Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s AI platform for the enterprise, to build, deploy and scale machine learning models and AI applications based on Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro and Flash models. Vodafone will increase its commitment to delivering and growing Google Cloud-based services, including cybersecurity, data analytics and AI.
Improving security and threat detection: Vodafone will build a new cloud-native cybersecurity offering for its business customers that leverages Google Cloud’s Security Operations Platform to help them better protect themselves and respond to cybersecurity threats in real time. In addition, Vodafone will leverage the strengths of its own internal team of 900 cybersecurity experts together with Google Cloud’s Security Operations Platform to protect Vodafone’s operations from external threats at scale.
Transforming the back office with generative AI: Google and Vodafone experts will develop products and scale priority use cases for digital, IT and network teams to automate error detection, optimize back office operations and more. Google will also create a generative AI training program for Vodafone employees to help them improve their own digital skills and operational efficiency by using scaled AI applications internally and with partners.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading telecommunications company in Europe and Africa. We provide mobile and fixed services to over 330 million customers in 15 countries (excluding Italy, which is a discontinued operation of Vodafone Group), partner with mobile networks in 45 other countries and have one of the world’s largest IoT platforms. In Africa, our financial technology companies serve nearly 79 million customers in seven countries and process more transactions than any other provider.

Our purpose is to use technology to create a better future by improving lives and businesses and contributing to the progress of inclusive, sustainable societies. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.

About Google

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and usable. With products and platforms such as web search, Google Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a significant role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most recognizable companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

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