• Centrica, the parent company of British Gas and Hive, has turned to Vodafone Business for a digital transformation
• The enterprise service provider will deliver connectivity and IT services to help Centrica’s automation and AI strategy

Vodafone Business, in partnership with VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions) and IT consultancy CGI, has agreed a four-year deal to provide connectivity and IT services to energy giant Centrica.

The service provider will offer workplace services as well as fixed and mobile connectivity to 80 sites and 30,000 devices across Centrica’s UK footprint, which includes British Gas and Hive.

The deal will also see Vodafone Business, VOIS and CGI, deliver a range of IT services, including Office 365, cloud and power apps, as well as support for Centrica’s ServiceNow platform and its IT service desk. 

The deal is part of Centrica’s move to leverage automation and AI to simplify its IT environment.

Vodafone has also pledged to support Centrica’s work tackling fuel poverty in the UK through the British Gas Energy Trust.

The agreement will work both ways, with Vodafone set to partner with Centrica’s subsidiaries Hive and British Gas to launch a new suite of combined connectivity and energy offers for consumers. This follows a promotion the telco ran earlier this month offering Hive thermostats to its customers.

Nick Gliddon, business director at VodafoneThree (Vodafone Group’s UK operation), said: “This partnership is a catalyst for real change. By combining our advanced connectivity, IT services and automation with the collective expertise of Vodafone Business and our partners, we are creating a new blueprint for how businesses can transform at scale. We’re enabling smarter, faster and more resilient operations – delivering benefits that will be felt by teams and customers across the UK.”

- James Pearce, Editor, TelecomTV