Vodafone Group partnered with UAE-based e& to provide cross-border managed voice solutions to fellow operators, a move designed to support international traffic requirements and meet growing demand for VoLTE services.

In a joint press release, the companies pledged to use their collective technical expertise, partnerships and complementary geographical footprint to provide global managed voice services.

Vodafone and e& claimed any operator sourcing the combined service would be assured of predictable costs across all regions, optimised inbound revenue, streamlined regulatory compliance and service integration through a cloud-based architecture.

In addition, the approach apparently offers enhanced fraud protection using advanced AI and machine learning functionalities.

The GSMA forecasts VoLTE adoption will increase to more than 70 per cent of global connections by 2030, fuelled by operators switching-off legacy networks in favour of 5G, along with a need to provide reliable cross-border managed voice services to end users.

Ninian Wilson, CEO of Vodafone Procurement and Connectivity, highlighted the current challenge in managing cross-border voice lies in regulation and the need to protect against international scams.

“Operators are seeking trusted partners to navigate these changes, while growing their businesses.”

The announcement builds on an agreement between Vodafone and e& to jointly target businesses and public sector organisations which are pursuing digital transformation.

Notably, e& owns a 14.6 per cent stake in Vodafone.