Twenty years have passed since the birth of Omnitel, today Vodafone Italia, and the mobile operator which in the meantime has become the first in Europe has decided to celebrate the anniversary by offering its Italian customers one week of free unlimited calls to Vodafone mobile phones to be activated, from 23 to 30 November, directly in the shop.
Vodafone has therefore been present, albeit initially under another name, in Italy since 1995, and in this period of time it has invested a total of over 23 billion euros in Italy (of which 4,6 billion in the acquisition of frequencies). The direct and indirect contribution to the Italian economic system, in the fiscal year ended March 2014 (source Vodafone: Sustainability Report), was 5,9 billion euros, with a net contribution to GDP of 2,7 billion euros and an employment of 37.000 people, including related industries.
With the launch of the first subscription without a fixed fee in 1996, Omnitel – che joined the Vodafone Group in 2001 – revolutionizes the mobile telephony market. "The era of the cell phone as a status symbol ends, and that of the cell phone for everyone begins", reads the note from the company led in Italy by Aldo Bisio, which also recalls the launch of the You&Me tariff in 1998, changes the habits of a generation of young people, "allowing for the first time to talk to your favorite number for free".
In 2013 Vodafone, with plan Spring, gives a further acceleration to investments for the development of its ultra-broadband networks. Today Vodafone is leader in 4G with 93% of the population covered and 4 million 4G customers, while they are 2,2 million families reached by Vodafone fiber. “In its 20-year history, customers have always been at the heart of Vodafone's strategy: with 8 competence centers dedicated to assistance, Vodafone handles 2 million calls a month. Over time, customer service has evolved together with customer habits, increasingly demanding and active on digital and social channels, so much so that today, the free MyVodafone app, together with the mobile site, has more than 30 million interactions per month ”, communicates the company.
