OREANDA-NEWS.  Vodafone Group today announced that it will establish a new hub in London for its global product and services innovation and development activity, bringing it closer to its customers in Europe, Africa and India and enabling the company to benefit from a wealth of technology skills and talent in the UK and Europe.

The hub for Vodafone xone, which will move from its existing base in Silicon Valley to the UK capital, will be responsible for the global development and incubation of new and emerging technologies that complement and augment Vodafone’s existing products and services. A team of highly-skilled engineers, technical architects and designers will:

build and test device prototypes;
develop new apps and services that complement Vodafone’s existing strategy; and
help accelerate the time it takes to get the very latest technologies into the hands of Vodafone customers.
Vodafone plans to consolidate and expand its xone technology and marketing teams in London who will work closely with their colleagues globally to bring new products and services to market.
Pratapa Bernard has been appointed as the new head of Vodafone xone reporting to Stefano Parisse, Vodafone’s consumer services director.  Pratapa formerly led Vodafone’s consumer services business in emerging markets and succeeds Fay Arjomandi who has decided to leave Vodafone to pursue other opportunities.
Stefano Parisse, Vodafone’s consumer services director, said: “Establishing a new hub for Vodafone xone in London will bring our product development team closer to the customers it serves. It will allow us to draw on a vast pool of technology talent in the UK and Europe and simplify our development process, enabling us to get the very latest technology into the hands of our customers as quickly as possible.”
Vodafone Ventures, Vodafone’s capital investment arm, will maintain its headquarters in California and will continue to work with early-stage start-ups in the US.  Vodafone Global Enterprise, which serves an increasing number of businesses throughout the US, will also maintain its presence in Silicon Valley.