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This section explains how Vodafone operates, from the key assets it holds to the activities it carries out to enable the delivery of products and services to the Group’s customers.
Connects all customers together and enables the Group to provide mobile and fixed voice, messaging and data services. Vodafone operates 2G networks in all of its mobile operating subsidiaries and an increasing number of 3G networks, providing customers with an enhanced data experience. Vodafone also operates an increasing number of fixed access networks.
Handsets, network equipment, marketing and IT services account for the majority of Vodafone’s purchases, with the bulk being sourced from global suppliers. The Group’s supply chain management team is responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with all suppliers, excluding handsets, providing cost benefits to the Group through utilisation of scale and scope.
The emphasis of the Group R&D work programme is to contribute leading edge technical capabilities to Vodafone’s thought and leadership offerings and identify new and emerging opportunities.
Vodafone has mobile licences in all of the countries in which it operates, as well as fixed licences in a number of markets.
Provides the IT systems to deliver customer service and the capability to charge customers for use of Vodafone’s services.
Vodafone employed over 79,000 people worldwide during the 2009 financial year and aims to attract, develop and retain the best people by providing a stimulating and safe environment and offering attractive performance based incentives and rewarding career opportunities.
Prepaid Customers pay in advance and are generally not bound by minimum contract terms.
Contract Customers usually sign up for a predetermined length of time and are invoiced for their services.
Small to medium enterprise (‘SME’) and corporate The Group’s strategy is to become the total communications provider of choice offering solutions which bring together fixed and mobile voice and data services into an integrated offer to the customer.
Multinational Vodafone Global Enterprise (‘VGE’) manages the relationship with Vodafone’s 270 largest multinational corporate customers (‘MNCs’).
Vodafone has continued to focus on delivering a superior, consistent and differentiated customer experience through its brand and communication activities.
Customer delight index Tracks customer satisfaction and identifies the drivers of customer delight.
Sponsorship The Group’s global sponsorship strategy, with central and local sponsorship agreements, has delivered strong results across all Vodafone markets.
Direct distribution includes owned and franchise retail stores, sales forces selling to enterprise customers and, increasingly, the internet.
Indirect distribution includes third party service providers, independent dealers, distributors and retailers and mobile virtual network operators (‘MVNOs’).
Vodafone’s core service to customers is to provide mobile voice communications and this continues to make up the largest proportion of the Group’s revenue.
Allows customers to send and receive text, picture and video messages using mobile devices.
The Group offers email, mobile connectivity and “Internet on Your Mobile” to enhance customers’ access to data services.
Provides customers with fixed broadband and fixed voice and data solutions to meet their total communication needs.
Includes mobile advertising and business managed services as well as incoming roaming and wholesale MVNO.
The Group has a wide ranging handset portfolio covering different customer segments, price points and an increasing variety of designs.
Provides simple and secure access to the internet and to business customers’ systems such as email, corporate applications and company intranets.
Vodafone offers broadband services through digital subscriber line (‘DSL’) and supplies routers to enable customers to access these services, in some cases with mobile broadband built in for fast activation and as backup.
