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Leading Abu Dhabi-based technology and investment group e& and Vodafone Group announced today that they have agreed to a strategic relationship that will bring the two operators closer together in certain aspects of their businesses.
As part of this strategic relationship, e& and Vodafone have entered into a relationship agreement establishing e& as a cornerstone shareholder of Vodafone. This is the next phase of the strategic relationship that began in May 2022, when e& made its initial investment in Vodafone.
The strategic relationship also fosters collaboration in a broad range of growth areas, as e& and Vodafone benefit from each other’s respective scale of operations and complementary geographic footprints, a statement said.
Key areas of commercial collaboration that e& and Vodafone will initially pursue include:
• On the corporate front, e& and Vodafone will explore joint delivery of cross-border digital services and solutions to multinational clients and public sector organisations. Services will include fixed and mobile connectivity, mobile private networks, Internet of Things, cybersecurity and cloud-based services.
• In terms of procurement, e& and Vodafone will seek to share best practice and possibly adopt joint procurement.
• In terms of carrier, wholesale and roaming, the two operators will work together to become the preferred partner for providing high-quality digital infrastructure access.
• On the technical side, the two teams will seek to collaborate on technology roadmaps, including the evolution and adoption of OpenRAN.
Under the terms of the relationship agreement, e&’s group chief executive will join Vodafone’s board as a non-executive director as long as e& maintains its current 14.6% stake. If e&’s shareholding exceeds 20% (subject to certain adjustments without regulatory approval), e& will also be able to nominate a second non-executive director independent of e&.
These appointments are subject to e& receiving the required regulatory approvals.
Hatem Dowidar, CEO of e& Group, said: “Our investment in Vodafone builds on Vodafone Group’s established position and global reputation as a preeminent industry player providing cutting-edge connectivity and digital services. This is in line with e&’s vision to be a global telecom and technology company.”
“We warmly welcome Margherita Della Valle as Vodafone’s newly appointed Group CEO and we have full confidence in her leadership to lead the company to growth. We are confident that our strategic relationship will unlock opportunities for both companies to jointly explore the rapidly expanding Global Telecom Market and Next Generation Technologies.”
Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group, said: “We know e& very well and I am delighted that we will strengthen our existing relationship with this strategic relationship. This will allow us to seize opportunities for greater efficiency in our respective markets, And bring more telecom experience to our board.” – trade arab news agency
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