By Najat Kantouar

Vodafone group said it has signed a 10-year strategic partnership with Microsoft to offer scaled digital platforms to businesses and consumers across Europe and Africa.

The U.K. telecommunications company said Tuesday that it will invest $1.5 billion over the next 10 years in cloud and customer-focused artificial-intelligence services developed with Microsoft.

Microsoft will also invest in Vodafone's connectivity platform, which will become a separate business by April, the company said.

"Vodafone has made a bold commitment to the digital future of Europe and Africa. This unique strategic partnership with Microsoft will accelerate the digital transformation of our business customers, particularly small and medium-sized companies, and step up the quality of customer experience for consumers," Vodafone Chief Executive Officer Margherita Della Valle said.

Write to Najat Kantouar at najat.kantouar@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 16, 2024 02:37 ET (07:37 GMT)

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