Vodafone creates global TV tech competence centre in Portugal

Mario Vaz

Vodafone is setting up a TV competence centre in Portugal. The TV Hub will act as an innovation centre for TV technology for the group’s global TV ambitions.

The TV Hub will bring together 80 engineers with 100 multi-disciplinary staff to develop the Vodafone TV platform for multiple territories. It will focus on four principal areas – product, based on analysis of the needs of each country; development, encompassing the design of country’s specific solutions and collaboration with partners; engineering, embodying integration of the TV solution across different markets; and operations.

Vodafone currently offers TV services in Portugal, Spain, Romania, Ireland, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand, with plans to introduce it in other territories including the UK.

Vodafone said the number of potential users of its TV service currently numbers about 500 million. It aims to develop p TV services across the territories in which it offers fixed and mobile services. The telco currently offers fixed services in 17 countries and mobile services in 26.

Vodafone Portugal CEO Mario Vaz said that the decision to base the TV Hub in Portugal was a testament to the unit technology leadership and the quality of resources and infrastructure in the country. He said that Vodafone Portugal had established itself as the fastest growing Portuguese pay TV supplier over the course of the last 11 successive quarters.