LONDON-International wireless giant Vodafone Group plc reported plans to establish a global distribution channel for its business products and services through an extension of its current relationships with U.S. suppliers Ingram Micro Inc. and Tech Data Corp. Vodafone noted the business products would include its Mobile Connect third-generation/GPRS data cards and Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry devices.
The extension includes the provisioning of global marketing and sales support with Vodafone providing specific product training and education as well as certification of computer product resellers as approved resellers of business mobility systems.
“These new partnerships allow Vodafone to use an effective channel for selling our mobile data products, in addition to our retail stores and direct sales force,” said Peter Bamford, chief marketing officer at Vodafone. “Partnering with the two leading pan-European distributors who have significant market reach means a greater number of business customers will have wider access to the Vodafone range of business products and services.”
Ingram Micro currently has commercial distribution agreements with Vodafone’s subsidiaries in Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Tech Data has similar agreements with Vodafone’s operations in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Terms of the extension were not released.
