Vodafone Group plc /ˈvoʊdəfoʊn/ is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London and with its registered office in Newbury, Berkshire. It is the world’s second-largest mobile telecommunications company measured by both subscribers and 2011 revenues (in each case behind China Mobile), and had 439 million subscribers as of December 2011. Vodafone owns and operates networks in over 30 countries and has partner networks in over 40 additional countries. It’s Vodafone Global Enterprise division provides telecommunications and IT services to corporate clients in 150 countries. Vodafone also has a 55% stake in Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile telecommunications company in the United States measured by subscribers. The name Vodafone comes from voice data fone, chosen by the company to “reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones”.

The group’s structure consists of a holding company that directly owns interests in mobile and fixed-line operators, as well as other companies with minority stakes. The Vodafone Group has partner networks

in more than 40 countries which helps to extend their reach even further. Some of their most notable acquisitions include the purchase of Airtel in India back in 2007 as well as taking full control of Verizon Wireless in the United States.

Under the leadership of CEO Vittorio Colao, the Vodafone Group is continuing to grow and expand its operations. They have recently announced plans to invest up to $19 billion dollars into their networks over the next two years. In 2012, Vodafone was ranked as the world’s third-largest company on the Forbes Global 2000 list, behind only Exxon Mobil and PetroChina.

Vodafone has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalization of approximately GBP 89.1 billion as of 23 January 2013, the fourth-largest of any company listed on the London Stock Exchange. It has a secondary listing on NASDAQ.