British Prime Minister David Cameron has been actively supporting efforts to turn East London and areas around Old Street into the place that might become the next great success story for the digital and communications industries. Much of the office space in the area offers start-ups room to grow quickly and opportunities to interact with similarly orientated organisations.
Vodafone, the UK’s largest information and communications technology company, is just the latest of a long list of global businesses taking an interest in and investing in offices in Tech City. Its plans centre around the creation of an ‘incubation centre’ and a technology lab where start-ups will be able to use Vodafone’s technical expertise and potentially receive much-needed funding.
“This exciting new centre will build on our existing Vodafone Xone facility in Silicon Valley, giving cutting-edge British high-tech start-ups access to the expertise and global reach of Britain’s largest ICT company,” said Siavash Alamouti, director of Vodafone’s research and development operations.
“We believe that the great talent, entrepreneurial spirit and wealth of start-up companies, in both the mobile internet and creative media industries, that are to be found in East London, make Tech City a great location for this centre.”
UK trade and investment minister Lord Green wholeheartedly welcomed the announcements. Google, Facebook, and Cisco are among the companies that have invested in offices and other commercial space in and around the Tech City.
Editor’s notes: In 2019, Vodafone opened a new London digital hub in Southwark called The Speechmark (a reference to the firm’s logo) – one of the areas of London where Vodafone’s high-speed, high-capacity network supports 5G coverage.