Vodafone Intensifies Efforts to Lure Immigrants in Spain, Italy

Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) — Vodafone Group Plc, the world’s largest mobile-phone company by revenue, has advertising campaigns in Spain and Italy to lure immigrants as customers before the arrival of new competitors.

In both countries the Newbury, England-based company is promoting its “My Country” service that allows customers to call their home country at domestic rates. The service was first introduced in Spain in 2003, Francisco Roman, chief executive officer of Vodafone Spain, told analysts today at a presentation in Milan.

Immigrants are a “source of growth,” Roman said. Their “mobile dependency is very high.”

The effort to attract new customers is part Vodafone’s strategy to wring growth from maturing markets in Western Europe. Vodafone is also adding services such as high-speed data connections to persuade customers to shift to mobile options for their voice calls and Internet connections.

Phone regulators in Italy and Spain are promoting competition in the mobile-phone industry by enticing so-called virtual operators, which piggyback existing networks to offer services. New operators may target immigrants to build their client base, Roman said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tobin in Madrid at

Source- http://www.bloomberg.com