Business name: Vodafone UK
Office location: Our business teams operate from hubs and retail stores across the UK – including the south west and Cornwall
When was the business founded: 1985
How many employees: In the UK we have 14,000 people.
How is the business best described?
We digitally connect people, places and things!
In addition to being one of the largest providers of mobile communications to businesses in the country, we were also the first operator to offer converged fixed and mobile solutions. Our unified communications for businesses, large and small, enhance how customer calls and requirements are responded to, empower people to work from anywhere and make it easier for employees to stay connected and collaborate. We are also working with businesses to connect their facilities and services in new ways – so that they can create smarter and more efficient workplaces and design new ways to use the Internet to create new services and products.
Business Cornwall: Why was the business founded?
Vodafone was founded in 1985 to deliver mobile connectivity and communications: in fact the first mobile phone call in the UK was made over our network. Following our acquisition of Cable and Wireless in 2012, we now offer businesses wide-area and local-area networks as well as mobile communications and a range of data and voice solutions. We support customers from emergency and public services to some of the UK’s biggest organisations and most entrepreneurial small and medium-sized businesses.
Our network and its fundamental role in connecting people to each other and to services remains at the core of what we do. The increase in data and the need for real-time digital interactions have placed even more value on the need for robust, secure and trusted communication networks and technologies that support collaboration. We help customers modernise and advance their own business communications so that they can take advantage of new digital innovation to support their ambitions and goals.
Business Cornwall: How does the business compare to competitors in the industry?
We are moving towards a world that is increasingly connected. Vodafone is helping businesses of all sizes access digital infrastructure and advancements in business communications to help increase productivity, reduce costs and create smarter services and ways of working. There are a number of areas which we are pioneering:
- The ability to support data and voice interactions across mobile and fixed networks to transform business communications.
- We are leaders in new innovation areas such as the Internet of Things, which gives businesses new ways to use the power of the Internet to connect physical things. Some of the ways businesses are using this technology include predictive maintenance for equipment and buildings, remote monitoring in field environments or to gain more data on the use of facilities.
- Digital infrastructure is an important component to the success of the UK economy. We are making massive investments in our UK network – £2bn over the past two years and an expected further £2bn in the next three years – to enable our customers to benefit from strong and robust communication capabilities.
- As the Internet transforms how we communicate, we are helping businesses of all sizes examine the potential of new ways of working. Our ‘Borderless Working’ methodology, looks at how businesses can use technology to support goals and objectives from the perspective of its people, processes and working environment.
Business Cornwall: What are the business’s plans both short-term and long-term?
In the short-term and longer-term, our Enterprise team in the South West is focused on helping local organisations gain from innovation in communications technology.
We are in a hugely transformative time, with the growing use of the Internet and mobile technology. We are working closely with businesses so that they can be ready to take advantage of new technology and to ensure they can continue to be competitive and efficient in a more connected world. In April, we restructured our teams regionally to provide even greater support and expertise to local businesses.
Vodafone’s South West Regional Business team already partners with hundreds of businesses and organisations, from start-ups and small businesses to the largest corporates and public sector bodies. With 35 specialist advisers and specialists spread across the South West, the team provides their customers with a range of voice and data services including: secure communications infrastructure; fixed and call centre capability; and unified communications.
Vodafone has invested millions of pounds in its network and services across the South West over the last few years. Thanks to that investment Vodafone has brought 4G coverage to more than a hundred cities and towns across the South West, as well as 3G coverage to 11 rural “notspots”. Vodafone has employees across the region and will continue to invest significantly in its network, infrastructure and employees across the region as part of its expected £2 billion investment in the UK over the next three years.
Business Cornwall: How does the business define success?
Our Enterprise customers’, their employees and their customers experience improved value from the work we are doing. Our innovation and services are helping to improve lives today and build a better tomorrow.
