Vodafone is to move its ‘xone’ research and development (R&D) hub from Silicon Valley to London, hoping that UK and European talent can create new products and services for its customers around the world.
A team of engineers, architects and designers will build and test device prototypes, develop new applications and services and help Vodafone accelerate the time it takes to get the latest mobile technology into the hands of its consumers.
The operator says the main reason for moving its main innovation hub is so it can be closer to its customers in Europe, Africa and India, especially since it now has no consumer presence in the US.
Vodafone sold its 45 percent stake in US operator Verizon Wireless for £78.3 billion earlier this year, but is keen to point out it is not completely retreating from the North American market.
Vodafone Ventures, the firm’s capital investment arm, will maintain its headquarters in California and will continue to invest in early stage startups in the US, while its enterprise communications and IT services unit, Vodafone Global Enterprise, will continue to serve an “increasing number of businesses” in the country.
The operator has also agreed a partner market deal with Rogers Communications, headed by former Vodafone UK CEO Guy Laurence. The deal will see consumers profit from 4G roaming, while Vodafone Global Enterprise customers benefit from Canada joining their existing contracts.
Vodafone Global Enterprise, which includes the Cable and Wireless fibre network in the UK, provides domestic and international voice and data, M2M, mobile email and broadband, mobile payment, cloud and unified communication services to customers in 50 countries, and has major contracts with Deutsche Post, Unilever and the Volkswagen Group.
“We are delighted that Rogers has joined our successful Partner Markets community,” adds Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao. “Canada is an important market as we continuously expand our roaming capabilities across North America.”
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Vodafone moved its R&D to London because the corrupt British Government and the Corrupt Revenue allowed Vodafone away with not paying the £7 Billion, yes SEVEN BILLION in tax it was due the Revenue, they know that this corrupt Conservative and Liberal coalition Government will allow them to operate in the UK and be exempt from tax, while this Right Wing Nazi Fascist government is hitting the poor, disabled, pensioners and the vulnerable with Benefit Cuts, Pension Cuts, higher utility bills, less social services for the vulnerable and elderly, while helping Vodafone avoid taxes, as long as they contribute large sums of money to the Conservative Party Coffers.
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Well what could be more EXTREME than all the Benefit Cuts Iain Duncan Smith has done to the Disabled in the UK, people terminally ill have had their Benefits Removed because they were seen as fit to work, terminally ill people fit to work, then we have had many terminally ill people die of starvation because they had no money, evicted out of their homes because they had no money to pay their rent. So this Nazi Fascist Cameron should look at the EXTREMISM of his own government first.