A2Z Phones

Vodafone Group Plc is a mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, England, and UK. It is the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover and has a market value of about £84.7 billion (July 2007). Vodafone currently has equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks (networks in which it has no equity stake) in a further 40 countries. The name Vodafone comes from Voice data fone, chosen by the company to “reflect the provision of voice and data services over Mobile Phones.

Racal Electronics plc’s subsidiary Racal Strategic Radio Ltd. won one of two UK cellular telephone network licenses. The Vodafone network, known as Racal Vodafone was 80% owned by Racal, with Millicom and the Hambros Technology Trust owning 15% and 5% respectively. Vodafone was launched on 1 January 1985. Racal Strategic Radio was renamed Racal Telecommunications Group Limited in 1985. On 29 December 1986 Racal Electronics bought out the minority shareholders of Vodafone for GB£110 million. In the United States, Vodafone owns 45% of Verizon Wireless, the country’s second largest mobile carrier.

The company has 241 million customers worldwide in 27 markets across 5 continents. This makes them the second largest mobile network in the world behind mobile China.

The Company’s ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Company’s American Depositary Shares (’ADSs’) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Company had a total market capitalization of approximately £88 billion at 3 July 2007.

The company believes in providing a seamless cost effective service to its customers by providing a competitive advantage. Vodafone Mobile Phone network provides quality products supported by excellent service anytime, anywhere and at a price that is affordable.

The company has also now moved into integrated mobile and PC communication services. The Vodafone Network provide the service wirelessly through 3G and HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access), and also using fixed line broadband services like DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). They have also extended their reach into the office by delivering richer business applications and integrated fixed and mobile services, such as higher speed internet access.

They recently introduced the Vodafone live! On the on-handset communications and multimedia portal, which gives you access to services like games, ring tones, news, sports and information. It is at present available in 28 countries.