Vodafone

Vodafone Group plc (LSE: VOD, NASDAQ: VOD) is a British multinational mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, England. Vodafone is the world's largest mobile telecommunication network company, based on revenue, and has a market value on the UK FTSE of about £80.2 billion (August 2010), making it Britain's third largest company. It currently has operations in 31 countries and partner networks in a further 40 countries. Based on subscribers, it is the world's second largest mobile phone operator behind China Mobile and over Telefónica, with over 427 million subscribers in 31 markets across 5 continents as of 2009[update]. In the UK, its home ground, Vodafone has badly underperformed in the last few years due to brisk change in administration. It has slipped from first to third largest telecom operator generating a revenue of £4.9 billion from its 18.7 million customers in 2008-09. As of 31 March 2009, the company employs more than 79,000 people worldwide.

The name Vodafone comes from voice data fone, chosen by the company to "reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones".

Vodafone owns 45% of Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, based on number of subscribers.

It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, where it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Previously Vodafone was listed on New York Stock Exchange, but later it indented to transfer the listing of its American Depositary Receipts, each representing ten ordinary shares of its company, from NYSE to NASDAQ. However, it would keep listing its debt securities on NYSE.