Vodacom Group recently entered into a multi-year agreement with Google Cloud to improve its data systems and increase AI adoption across its African operations.
The deal involves Vodacom unifying its dispersed data systems on Google Cloud’s infrastructure and integrating the company’s generative AI models into core business functions to boost efficiency and deliver new services.
Vodacom’s digital overhaul begins with migrating its key data platforms onto Google Cloud to improve governance and unlock real-time insights, followed by deploying the search giant’s AI tools including its Vertex AI platform and Gemini models to enhance customer care, optimise network performance and strengthen fraud detection.
The operator will also target AI product innovations, initially focusing on fintech services to broaden financial inclusion, along with fresh enterprise services and consumer experiences aimed at improving digital education and content access.
Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said the move is “more than a technology upgrade, it is a deep commitment to Africa’s digital revolution”. He added Google Cloud’s tools would help “modernise our infrastructure” and “fundamentally shift our operational paradigm”. The deal builds on Vodacom’s broader connectivity efforts across the continent.
Earlier this month, the operator signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s Starlink to deliver high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband across Africa to tackle coverage challenges in rural regions.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
