Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 19 (ANI): Telecom player Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced a strategic collaboration with IBM to enhance operational efficiency, service reliability, and customer experience through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and a unified DevOps execution model.

Key to the effort is a newly established AI Innovation Hub, designed to continuously modernize Vi's IT and business processes. The Hub aims to bring together experts from Vi and IBM Consulting to co-create cutting-edge AI solutions, automation tools, and digital accelerators powered by IBM's industry-leading AI capabilities.

The company said in a release that the AI Innovation Hub will work closely with the unified DevOps team to find effective avenues of infusing AI into the development and operations function of Vi.

'Our collaboration with IBM marks a pivotal milestone in Vi's digital journey. It reflects our commitment to AI-led innovation and our ambition to drive accelerated growth through intelligent decision-making and automation. The AI Innovation Hub will play a critical role in modernising our operations and expediting our go-to-market execution of critical business initiatives through faster software development cycles, setting new benchmarks for the telecom industry,' said Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited.

Working alongside IBM Consulting's AI and DevOps experts, Vi aims to deliver smarter digital experiences, enhance IT agility, and unlock new revenue opportunities.

The organisation's AI-enabled unified DevOps implementation will tap into IBM's global partner ecosystem, accelerators, and deep industry knowledge to support continuous innovation while helping strengthen Vi's long-term digital resilience.

'India's telecom sector stands at the crossroads of surging data consumption, rapid digital transformation, and large-scale 5G deployments. In this dynamic landscape, our collaboration with Vi allows IBM to serve as a strategic enabler to help modernize the organization's IT ecosystem, enhance operational efficiencies, and fast-track their digital transformation. Vi's AI Innovation Hub is a testament to the power of co-creation, where IBM consultants can provide best practices and support efforts to build a future-ready digital foundation powered by AI and automation,' said Juhi McClelland, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting, IBM Asia Pacific.

'Vi and IBM have had a rich, collaborative association going strong for more than 17 years. Our recent collaboration with Vi marks a significant step in redefining how AI and automation can transform telecom operations at scale. With the AI Innovation Hub and unified DevOps execution, we're bringing together the best of IBM's global expertise to help Vi deliver superior customer experiences, drive innovation, and strengthen digital resilience for the future,' said Rishi Aurora, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting India & South Asia.

With artificial intelligence (AI) at the core of its transformation strategy, Vodafone Idea (Vi) is accelerating time-to-market through the implementation of a unified DevOps model.

Leveraging IBM's expertise in AI and digital transformation, the telecom operator aims to strengthen its IT infrastructure while exploring new growth avenues. The collaboration is expected to support the development and rollout of seamless digital experiences, highlighting the role of AI in driving customer-centric service delivery. (ANI)