Vodacom Group parent, the UK’s Vodafone Group, has partnered with Google to bring cloud services, generative artificial intelligence tools and cybersecurity to its customers in Europe and Africa.
The 10-year expansion of an existing partnership will see Vodafone promote Google’s cloud storage subscriptions, including Google One AI Premium, which gives access to the Gemini chatbot, Vodafone said in a statement on Tuesday.
The UK-based operator will also show customers how to use the latest Pixel devices’ AI features in stores.
“It’s partly because the nature of the device and the nature of the experience people have at the device is going to change as AI becomes much more prominent on the device,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. Google and Vodafone are working “to make it super easy for people to experience those things and to make a purchasing decision”.
Telecommunications providers have been looking to diversify their revenue streams by offering digital services on top of connectivity. In doing this, they seek to emulate some of the success of the big tech companies that have accumulated massive profits as many operators have faltered.
Vodafone will also use Google’s technology to improve the search, recommendations and ad targeting for its Vodafone TV box service and develop a new cloud cybersecurity product for business users, it said in the statement. — Jillian Deutsch, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP