| Vodafone at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Vodafone Group Plc. |
| Established: | 1982 |
| Proportionate revenue: | £44.5 billion (year ending 31st March, 2010) |
| Proportionate EBITDA | £14.735 million (year ending 31st March, 2010) |
| Employees: | 85,000 (average for year ending 31st March, 2010) |
| Customer base: | Approximately 341.1 million (as of 30th March, 2010) |
| Global network: | Equity interests in over 30 countries Partner networks in further over 40 countries |
| Head office: | Vodafone House The Connection Newbury RG14 2FN England Tel: +44 (0) 163 533 251 Fax: +44 (0) 163 545 7138 |
We became part of the Vodafone family on 1 June, 2005.
Vodafone is the largest mobile operator in the world. It has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents, not to mention further 40 partner networks worldwide. By the end of March, 2010, the Vodafone Group featured 341 million customers, which means that you will never be short of people to chat to!
Vodafone was granted a license in the UK way back in 1983. But the tale really starts to get juicy in January 1985 when the first ever call was made in the network. Back then mobiles were machines just for making phone calls and in those days even that was pretty impressive – despite the fact phones tended to be the size of a small car. Luckily for us - and for our pockets - Vodafone never ceased to push developments forward.
One of the most exciting breakthroughs came in 1991 when the signal went on its first trip abroad to Finland and roaming was born. Or take SMS, which was first sent over the digital network in the UK in 1994, thanks to Vodafone.
