Vodafone, Conexus sign pact to boost presence in global markets

LONDON: UK-based mobile operator Vodafone on Tuesday formed a partnership with Conexus Mobile Alliance which will expand market presence of both the companies across the world.

"The value to Vodafone of collaborating with Conexus will be significant, given the growing importance of Asia to our enterprise customers. These agreements will strengthen and deepen the benefits to our customers operating in these large and dynamic markets," Vodafone's Group Chief Commercial Officer Morten Lundal said in a statement.

"This (partnership) enhances the roaming experience for a combined global mobile customer base of over 600 million," the company said.

Vodafone said it intends to work with as many of the Conexus members as possible, complementing its own regional operations in India, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, and its existing partners in Malaysia (Celcom) and Sri Lanka (Dialog).

The London-headquartered company's agreement with Conexus will include partnerships with FarEasTone (Taiwan), Hutchison Telecom (Hong Kong), NTT DOCOMO (Japan), SMART (the Philippines), StarHub (Singapore) and TrueMove (Thailand).

Vodafone and Conexus also intend to expand partnerships with remaining Conexus members, such as KT in South Korea, to further enhance coverage.

In countries where the British telecom giant already has a agreement with a different partner, any new agreement with a Conexus member would take effect only after the existing contract has expired.

"Together, Vodafone and Conexus will provide customers with enhanced network coverage, harmonised roaming rates across multiple countries and greater cost efficiencies," the company said.

The move will boost both Conexus members' and Vodafone's ability to meet growing demand among multinational businesses for sophisticated voice and data communications solutions as well as advanced roaming services within and out of Asia.

"The partnership is of strong strategic value to the Alliance. It will not only enable us to further extend our global reach but also increase our overall competitiveness especially in coping with diverse global customer requirements," Conexus Chairman Andrew Kwok said.