Hundreds of jobs are set to return to the UK from India as part of a major recruitment drive.
The roles will be based in Sheffield and Belfast, just six months after two mobile networks completed their merger.
VodafoneThree is relocating 400 customer contact positions from India back to British soil.
The announcement represents the largest hiring initiative for the combined company since Vodafone UK and Three UK completed their merger half a year ago.
It also marks the most significant recruitment effort for either brand prior to joining forces.
These customer-facing positions will be operated through Concentrix, the company’s outsourcing partner, at centres in both cities.
The move reflects VodafoneThree’s stated aim of serving British customers from locations within the UK.
Hiring has commenced and new staff are already being trained at the Belfast site.
Vodafone and Three first announced their intentions to merge in a £15billion deal back in summer 2023
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VODAFONE PRESS OFFICEThe new recruits will concentrate on specialist care and sales functions for both the Vodafone and Three brands.
Staff will receive training in multiple areas, including support for vulnerable customers.
These 400 positions will supplement the existing workforce of more than 830 customer specialists currently employed at Concentrix sites in Stoke and Glasgow.
The expansion demonstrates the telecommunications giant’s commitment to building customer service teams across multiple British locations.
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Sheffield already serves as an established Concentrix hub, though it has not previously housed VodafoneThree operations. Meanwhile, Vodafone maintains an existing enterprise office in Belfast, providing some existing infrastructure in Northern Ireland.
The customer contact roles form part of a much larger investment programme totalling £11billion, which will generate approximately 9,000 jobs in engineering, construction and maintenance across the country.
During the most intensive phase of network construction, this figure is expected to climb to 13,000 positions.
The company’s 5G Standalone network rollout is projected to deliver substantial economic benefits regionally. Over the coming decade, Northern Ireland stands to gain more than £2.9billion in mean economic output, while Yorkshire and The Humber could see an estimated £6.4 billion boost.
VodafoneThree has already upgraded 8,000 sites nationwide as part of its network improvement programme
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PAVodafoneThree has already upgraded 8,000 sites nationwide as part of its network improvement programme, targeting 99 per cent 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030.
Jon Shaw, Consumer Operations at VodafoneThree, said: “We firmly believe in having care teams where our customers are, and that means having teams based across the UK. It’s an exciting time to join VodafoneThree as we build the UK’s best network and set new standards for customer care in the industry.”
Lord Stockwood, Minister for Investment, welcomed the announcement, stating: “This is a major boost for our digital and tech sector, which will not only create over 400 jobs in Sheffield and Belfast but open up new opportunities for local communities and put more money in people’s pockets.”
The minister added that the investment aligned with the government’s Industrial Strategy, which aims to unlock potential across Britain’s cities and regions.