Vodafone and Google Forge $1 Billion Partnership to Revolutionize AI-Powered Services Across Europe and Africa

Vodafone and Google Forge $1 Billion Partnership to Revolutionize AI-Powered Services Across Europe and Africa

(IN BRIEF) Vodafone and Google have announced a groundbreaking ten-year partnership, committing over a billion dollars to enhance services and devices powered by generative AI and cloud technology across Europe and Africa. This collaboration aims to provide AI-driven Google Pixel devices to Vodafone customers while improving Vodafone TV with personalized content recommendations through Google Cloud’s generative AI. The partnership will also introduce Google One AI Premium subscription plans and expand Vodafone’s use of Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to drive innovation. Additionally, Vodafone plans to develop a new cloud-native cybersecurity solution for its business clients using Google Cloud’s Security Operations platform. The alliance is expected to redefine the digital experience for millions of users and improve operational efficiency and security.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 9-Oct-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Vodafone and Google have unveiled an ambitious ten-year partnership, committing to invest over a billion dollars in advancing AI-powered devices, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity efforts across Europe and Africa. This strategic collaboration aims to deliver groundbreaking generative AI capabilities, particularly utilizing Google’s Gemini models, to enhance the customer experience for millions of Vodafone subscribers.

As part of this expanded alliance, Vodafone plans to roll out Google’s AI-enabled Pixel devices alongside its robust 5G network throughout Europe. This initiative also seeks to enrich Vodafone TV, offering users personalized content discovery and recommendations powered by Google Cloud’s generative AI. Future plans include the introduction of advertising solutions via Google Ad Manager, aiming to create a more engaging TV experience.

The partnership also includes the rollout of Google One AI Premium subscription plans, which will offer advanced capabilities in select regions by 2025. Additionally, Vodafone will enhance its existing collaboration with Google Cloud, expanding its private data repository and leveraging Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to drive innovation and service delivery for its customers.

“By partnering with Google, we are poised to bring cutting-edge AI technology and cloud-based solutions to millions more consumers,” said Margherita Della Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Group. “Our joint efforts will not only facilitate enhanced learning and communication opportunities but will also redefine the way our customers engage with digital content.”

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, remarked, “This strengthened collaboration will extend our most innovative AI technologies and services to a wider audience across Europe and Africa. I am eager to see how our combined resources will empower Vodafone’s customers, small businesses, and governmental entities to transform their operations and access information in new ways.”

Enhancing Customer Experiences with Advanced Technologies

The renewed partnership emphasizes the importance of providing consumers with cutting-edge hardware and digital services. Vodafone and Google are committed to expanding product availability both online and in stores, focusing on a seamless customer experience enriched by AI capabilities. Vodafone aims to introduce subscription-based products, including YouTube services and Google One plans, to enhance customer engagement and access to services.

With plans to refine Vodafone TV, Google Cloud’s AI technology will facilitate better content discovery, reward systems, and monetization opportunities. The integration of YouTube with Vodafone TV is also being explored to further enhance user experience.

Strengthening Digital Security and Transformation

The partnership builds on the existing cooperation between Vodafone and Google Cloud, leveraging a shared data lake for optimal security and compliance. By integrating Google’s advanced AI solutions, Vodafone intends to accelerate innovation and provide robust cybersecurity measures for its business clients. A new cloud-native security offering will be developed, utilizing Google Cloud’s Security Operations platform to help customers safeguard against cyber threats effectively.

This collaboration marks a significant step in promoting universal industry standards for online safety and responsible AI development, enhancing operational efficiency, and advancing public services.

For further details on the partnership, please visit Vodafone’s website.

Note to Editors

The key benefits of the Vodafone and Google partnership include:

Leading the Way in Enhanced Consumer Experiences

• 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 coupled with its fast 5G pan-European network. Vodafone will also help customers learn about AI features with improved online guides, dedicated in-store experiences, and freshly trained staff.
• Offering a best-in-class TV platform: Vodafone and Google will work towards Vodafone TV customers enjoying AI-generated search and recommendations for personalised TV content, applications, and rewards. This expands on the news in 2023 that Vodafone’s adoption of Android TV became the preferred platform for Vodafone TV, now live in seven countries. This collaboration also empowers Vodafone to optimise its infrastructure using Google Cloud’s gen AI capabilities, and unlock new opportunities in advertising and market expansion. Google Ad Manager is intended to act as the main platform for the monetisation of Vodafone’s addressable TV inventories, providing a better ads experience for users.
• Extending the reach of cloud and AI to consumers: Google and Vodafone aim to offer Vodafone’s consumers a range of services built using advanced cloud-based AI. This may include storage for photos, video and files using Google One, and Google One AI Premium with Gemini Advanced for those who want the extra power of Google’s most capable AI models. The parties are also working to expand the availability of subscription-based YouTube services to Vodafone customers. All such services will be supported by Vodafone’s extensive fixed and mobile networks in the relevant territory.

Digital Transformation & Security: Powered by Google Cloud’s generative AI

• Expanding business services powered by Google Cloud: Google and Vodafone will enhance their existing cloud partnership. Google is already the public cloud provider for all Vodafone’s analytics, including anonymised and aggregated big data, business intelligence, marketing, and network analytics. Vodafone will use Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s enterprise-ready AI platform, to build, deploy, and scale machine learning models and AI applications powered by Google’s Gemini models, 1.5 Pro and Flash. Vodafone will bolster its commitment to distributing and building upon Google Cloud-based services, including cybersecurity, data analytics and AI.
• Enhancing security and threat detection: Vodafone will build a new cloud-native cybersecurity offering for its business customers utilising Google Cloud’s Security Operations platform so they can better protect themselves and respond in real time to cybersecurity threats. In addition, Vodafone will draw on the strengths of its own in-house team of 900 cybersecurity experts, along with Google Cloud’s Security Operations platform, to further secure Vodafone’s operations at scale from external threats.
• Transforming the back office with gen AI: Google and Vodafone experts will build products and scale priority use-cases for digital, IT, and network teams to help automate fault detection, streamline back-office operations and more. Google will also create a gen AI training programme for Vodafone employees to help them enhance their own digital credentials and operational efficiencies by using scaled AI applications internally, and with partners.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading European and African telecoms company. We provide mobile and fixed services to over 330 million customers in 15 countries (excludes Italy which is held as a discontinued operation under Vodafone Group), partner with mobile networks in 45 more and have one of the world’s largest IoT platforms. In Africa, our financial technology businesses serve almost 79 million customers across seven countries – managing more transactions than any other provider.

Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve lives, businesses and help progress inclusive sustainable societies. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on X at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

About Google

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

Media Contact:

Investor Relations
Investors.vodafone.com
ir@vodafone.co.uk

Media Relations
Vodafone.com/media/contact
GroupMedia@vodafone.com

SOURCE: Vodafone Group