Vodafone opens doors to digital future with new European R&D Centre

Vodafone has opened the doors to its new centralised European Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Malaga, Spain.

Vodafone has opened the doors to its new European R&D Centre in Malaga

The European R&D Centre will specialise in developing new technology solutions and digital services based on unified communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), Edge Computing, Mobile Private Networks (MPN) and Open RAN. It is equipped with the latest Vodafone 5G and ultrafast fibre connectivity, as well as cutting-edge laboratory infrastructure and office space.

Vodafone showcased Open RAN technology at the launch event

A second R&D centre will open in Dresden, Germany, later this year.

A hub for talent and innovation

In line with previous announcements, Vodafone is to invest €225 million over five years in the centralised hub in Malaga, creating more than 600 direct, highly skilled jobs.

By combining the advantage of its geographical scale and bringing together the best technological talent, Vodafone aims to use the centre to develop and launch new products and services faster, cheaper and in multiple countries at the same time. It forms part of Vodafone’s plan to add nearly 7,000 software engineers across Europe by 2025, through a combination of recruitment, re-skilling existing employees and insourcing.

Vodafone will also partner with universities, vocational training schools, local companies and institutions to promote the creation of an innovation hub around the Centre and multiply its impact in the region.

Research and development focus areas – what next for IoT?

Early projects at the Centre will focus on IoT and the development of technologies for different markets, including smart devices for consumers, connected homes and smart cities, as well as new platforms for digital businesses.

A demonstration of Vodafone’s Metaverse technology took place at the launch

Vodafone will also lead its network innovation work from the Centre, focusing on new applications for 5G, the development of Open RAN, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and automatic learning in networks.