Vodafone signs £1.2bn deal with Microsoft to use AI and cloud services
Vodafone has inked a £1.2bn 10-year deal with Microsoft to use Microsoft's cutting-edge AI, cloud services and digital tech.
Over the next decade, Vodafone will put £1.2bn into customer-facing generative AI using Microsofts solutions, and will digitise its data hubs with Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. This partnership will lead to the creation of chatbots for Vodafone customer service, according to the firms.
Announcing their collaboration, Microsoft and Vodafone reported the deal would aid more than 300 million customers and businesses in Europe and Africa. Part of the agreement also sees Microsoft using Vodafone's fixed and mobile connectivity services and investing in Vodafone's connected devices platform.
This platform is expected to become an independent business by April 2024, the companies revealed. Vodafone Group CEO, Margherita Della Valle, declared: "Today, Vodafone has made a bold commitment to the digital future of Europe and Africa."
She added: "This unique strategic partnership with Microsoft will accelerate the digital transformation of our business customers, particularly small and medium-sized companies, and step up the quality of customer experience for consumers."
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Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has said: "This new generation of AI will unlock massive new opportunities for every organisation and every industry around the world. We are delighted that together with Vodafone we will apply the latest cloud and AI technology to enhance the customer experience of hundreds of millions of people and businesses across Africa and Europe, build new products and services, and accelerate the company's transition to the cloud."
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