DIGITAL STRATEGY
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Vodafone has always been a trailblazer in the telecoms space . The British company started life as a small startup in 1980 and ever since it has made history , making the nation ’ s first mobile phone call on New Year ’ s Day 1985 and sending the country ’ s first text message in 1992 . However , in more recent chapters of its history , Vodafone has redefined what it means to be a telecom . Having just celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Vodafone UK , CTO Scott Petty contends that as we enter a postsmartphone era , Vodafone is no longer just a telecom , it ’ s a major technology company .
“ We feel like we ’ re a technology company capable of developing innovative new services as much as a network operator that can extract operational efficiencies out of scale ,” he reflects . “ I think what we ’ re grappling with in the post-smartphone world is : what will be the new services and technologies that will use mobile networks as a connection point or hub ?” With over 17.2mn subscribers Vodafone is now the thirdlargest mobile network operator globally but recently it has entered a variety of new markets , dabbling in the world of fintech , Internet of Things ( IoT ), telematics and more . “ We ’ re not an incumbent in these markets ,” admits Petty , “ but this means we ’ ve had to
MAY 2019