Vodafone and Sumitomo Corporation announce strategic alliance

Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone) and Sumitomo Corporation (SC) today jointly announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to collaborate on international technology infrastructure and digital services projects, sharing knowledge and collaborating on new business opportunities in the 5G era.

Vodafone is the largest mobile and fixed network operator in Europe, is a leading global IoT connectivity provider, and its M-Pesa technology platform in Africa enables over 45 million people to benefit from access to mobile payments, financial services, agriculture, education and healthcare. Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries and partners with mobile networks in 48 more.

SC is a trading and business investment company with 132 locations in 66 countries and regions. The entire SC Group consists of more than 900 companies in diverse fields such as Metal Products, Transportation and Construction Systems, Infrastructure, Media and Digital, Living Related and Real Estate, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Chemical and Electronics. In its Media and Digital Division, SC has expanded its activities of Information and Communication Technology, including the development of 5G infrastructure in Japan, mobile services in Myanmar and Digital Transformation (DX) in various industries.

Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said: “Digital communications services have played a vital role in connecting people, businesses and society during the COVID-19 crisis. Our partnership with Sumitomo will create growth opportunities through the development of next-generation communication infrastructure and secure digital services, building a digital society for millions of people while ensuring that we can take significant steps to reduce our impact on the planet.”

Executive Vice President & Chief Digital Officer of Sumitomo Corporation, Toshikazu Nambu said: “Our strategic alliance brings together two of the world’s leading companies with a shared vision to enhance our digital service capabilities, platforms and infrastructure. Sumitomo operates in diverse business fields and is delighted to pursue sustainable growth together with Vodafone, including reducing climate change, promoting the circular economy and the development of local digital economies. We expect to strengthen our business with the vast digital service portfolios of Vodafone.”

For further information:

Vodafone Group
Media relations - GroupMedia@vodafone.com
Investor Relations – IR@vodafone.co.uk

Sumitomo Corporation
Corporate Communications Department
sc_koho_press@sumitomocorp.com

About Vodafone

Vodafone is a leading telecommunications company in Europe and Africa. Our purpose is to “connect for a better future” and our expertise and scale gives us a unique opportunity to drive positive change for society. Our networks keep family, friends, businesses and governments connected and – as COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated – we play a vital role in keeping economies running and the functioning of critical sectors like education and healthcare.

Vodafone is the largest mobile and fixed network operator in Europe and a leading global IoT connectivity provider. Our M-Pesa technology platform in Africa enables over 45m people to benefit from access to mobile payments and financial services. We operate mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries and partner with mobile networks in 48 more. As of 30 September 2020, we had over 300m mobile customers, more than 27m fixed broadband customers, over 22m TV customers and we connected more than 112m IoT devices.

We support diversity and inclusion through our maternity and parental leave policies, empowering women through connectivity and improving access to education and digital skills for women, girls, and society at large. We are respectful of all individuals, irrespective of race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, belief, culture or religion.

Vodafone is also taking significant steps to reduce our impact on our planet by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025, purchasing 100% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and reusing, reselling or recycling 100% of our redundant network equipment.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

About Sumitomo

Sumitomo Corporation (“SC”) is a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company with 132 locations (Japan: 22, Overseas: 110) in 66 countries and regions. The entire SC Group consists of more than 900 companies. SC conducts commodity transactions in all industries utilizing worldwide networks, provides customers with financing, serves as an organizer and a coordinator for various projects, and invests in companies to promote greater growth potential. SC’s core business areas include Metal Products, Transportation and Construction Systems, Infrastructure, Media and Digital, Living Related and Real Estate, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Chemical and Electronics.

Our corporate message, Enriching lives and the world was created to encapsulate our vision for sustainability in the next 100 years. Our business, as well as our relationship with our stakeholders, has expanded on a global scale. Our mission is to grow sustainably alongside society, pursue development for the world, and enable better lives for all.

For more information, please visit: https://www.sumitomocorp.com/en/jp.