Vodafone’s network ‘isn’t good enough’
The CEO of Vodafone UK, Jeroen Hoencamp, has admitted that the network “isn’t as good as it should be” and plans to spend around £1bn on improvements. Vodafone is also looking to launch broadband and TV services this year.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Hoencamp detailed how the investment is going to be spent. He has made it clear that the network is the most important factor and will be a priority when it comes to changes over the next year.
The investment is part of Project Spring, which was announced last November. By March next year the company will have invested around £7bn in services and the network. There are plans to improve services in the London area with the addition of a further 1,000 mobile masts, which will give the network much better coverage. Vodafone is also responsible for the installation of a connection close to the top of the Shard, which is the highest connection in Europe.
Vodafone has also been the subject of speculation at a time when other mobile operators are being bought or sold. Mr Hoencamp revealed that Vodafone has considered acquiring targets such as TalkTalk to enable it to move more easily into the provision of TV and broadband services. Even if an acquisition does not happen, Vodafone is planning to move into this type of service with a third party providing the content rather than Vodafone creating its own.