Vi (Vodafone Idea) today announced a strategic collaboration with IBM to help streamline operations, improve service reliability, enhance the customer experience, and accelerate the seamless delivery of digital initiatives, using artificial intelligence (AI) and the implementation of a unified DevOps execution model fuelled by automation.
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 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.
Leadership Perspectives on the Collaboration
“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 modernizing 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 organization’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.
Driving Faster Time-to-Market with AI and Automation
With AI at the core of its transformation, Vi is driving faster time-to-market through unified DevOps implementation. By tapping IBM’s expertise in AI and digital transformation, the company is unlocking new growth opportunities and establishing a more resilient IT ecosystem. These collaborative efforts will help enable the design and adoption of rapid and seamless digital experiences, underscoring the power of AI in enhancing customer-centric service delivery.
Explainers: The Three Key Pillars
DevOps: A set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the software development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality.
Managed Services: The practice of outsourcing management and maintenance of IT processes and functions to a third-party company.
AI Innovation Hub: A dedicated center or team where experts from partnering companies collaborate to develop and integrate AI-powered solutions.
Outlook
The strategic partnership between Vi and IBM represents a significant leap forward for India’s telecom sector. By leveraging AI and automation through their new Innovation Hub and unified DevOps model, the companies are poised to not only streamline internal operations but also set a new standard for customer-centric service delivery. This collaboration is expected to accelerate Vi’s digital journey, positioning the company for sustained growth in a competitive and rapidly evolving market.