UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 6-K
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rules 13a-16 or 15d-16 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Dated October 3, 2022
Commission File Number: 001-10086
VODAFONE GROUP
PUBLIC LIMITED
COMPANY
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
VODAFONE HOUSE, THE CONNECTION, NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE,
RG14 2FN, ENGLAND
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files
or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F x Form 40-F ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting
the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting
the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by
furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes
¨ No
x
If “Yes” is marked, indicate below
the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-____.
This Report on Form 6-K contains the
following:-
1. | A Stock Exchange Announcement dated 1 September 2022 entitled ‘TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS AND CAPITAL’. |
2. | A Media Announcement dated 27 September 2022 entitled ‘ACTION PLAN AGREED FOR UNIVERSAL SMARTPHONE
ACCESS’. |
RNS Number : 8333X
Vodafone Group Plc
01 September 2022
VODAFONE GROUP PLC
TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS AND CAPITAL
In conformity with Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, Vodafone Group Plc ("Vodafone") hereby notifies the market that, as at 31 August 2022:
Vodafone's issued share capital
consists of 27,812,328,143 ordinary shares of US$0.20 20/21 of
which 1,005,835,135 ordinary shares are held in Treasury.
Therefore, the total number
of voting rights in Vodafone is 27,812,328,143. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations
by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, Vodafone under the FCA's
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
This announcement does not constitute,
or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction.
END
RNS Number : 7092A
Vodafone Group Plc
27 September 2022
27 September 2022
ACTION PLAN AGREED FOR UNIVERSAL
SMARTPHONE ACCESS
UNGA, New York: The ITU/UNESCO
Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has ratified the first multi-stakeholder study aimed at creating practical tools and
actions that could enable nearly 3 billion more people to access and use the internet through a smartphone by 2030.
Around a third of the global population
still cannot or do not access the internet1. The adoption gap for mobile internet -
which arises when individuals do not use the internet even when there is mobile network coverage in an area - is now over seven
times larger than the coverage gap globally and is even larger in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa2.
A Broadband
Commission Working Group on Smartphone Access was co-chaired by Nick
Read, CEO of Vodafone Group, Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the ITU and Heidi Schroderus-Fox/ Rabab Fatima, UN High Representatives
for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). The Working Group also
included representatives from the governments of Benin and Ghana.
The report, 'Strategies Towards
Universal Smartphone Access', found that limited affordability and availability of smartphones, along with low consumer confidence, in
part due to a lack of basic digital skills, are limiting internet adoption.
The report, which took a year to
research and write, identifies three interventions that will have the most immediate impact on smartphone adoption:
· increased
use by telecom operators of flexible device financing models;
· reduced
taxes and import duties; and
·
improved distribution models to make smartphones more accessible
to rural communities.
Alongside these measures the report
recommends further investigation into the use of device subsidies and the re-use of pre-owned smartphones.
The Broadband Commission will create
taskforces to complete a five point action plan resulting from its findings:
| (i) | initiate win-win partnerships with players across the digital
value chain; |
| (ii) | improve recycling regulation and develop quality standards for
pre-owned smartphones; |
| (iii) | develop strategies for recycling of mid- and low-tier devices; |
| (iv) | explore the use of Universal Service Funds and other government
subsidies; and |
| (v) | further explore the economic benefits of reducing tax and import
duties on smartphones. |
Nick Read, the CEO of Vodafone
Group said: "Access to the internet, and smartphones, are critical enablers of jobs, education, healthcare, financial services and
much more. We need focused partnerships between business, government and civil society to drive smartphone adoption, through the five
actions we have identified, to ensure we enable the transformative benefits of internet adoption for billions of people."
Houlin Zhao, Secretary General
of the ITU, said: "Thanks to the collaborative efforts of all members of the Working Group, this report moves the conversation forward
by providing detailed case studies on initiatives implemented globally to address the challenges in providing affordable broadband and
smartphone access. This report is just the first step. For the next phase, I would like to invite you to join us to implement the
recommended initiatives and the five-point action plan to reduce the device gap for the underserved communities globally, as we move towards
building a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable world."
Rabab Fatima, UN High Representative
for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), said: "Only 45%
of adults in emerging economies currently own a smartphone, compared to 76% in advanced economies.3 Women
are also significantly less likely than men to own a smartphone and use the mobile internet if they live in low and middle income countries.
Smartphones are not just consumer goods: they are accelerators for learning, connection and economic activity. But with the cost of a
smartphone exceeding 70% of the average monthly income of people living in low and middle income countries4,
enabling access and use to the internet must now become a policy priority for the international community."
The Working Group also included
representatives from: America Móvil; the government of Benin; the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN; the government of
Ghana; the GSMA; the International Trade Centre; Intelsat; the International Science Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South
Cooperation (ITC); Millicom; Smart Africa; ZTE; and the World Wide Web Foundation. The lead author of the report was Professor Christopher
Yoo, John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer & Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
The report included research from the GSMA, ITU and 19 structured expert interviews, as well as insights from focus groups of entrepreneurs
convened by the ITC, and extensive desk research.
The
strategies for smartphone adoption build upon the Partner2Connect
Digital Coalition which was launched earlier this year by the ITU,
in close cooperation with the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology. Partner2Connect is a multistakeholder alliance to
foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally, with a focus on (but not limited to) the hardest- to-connect communities.
The coalition has so far had 428 pledges with an estimated financial value of US$26.06billion (€26.04billion). Pioneer pledges include
Vodafone, through its main African business Vodacom, which will invest US$190 million (€190 million) over the next five years to
increase 4G population coverage to an additional 80 million people in Africa.
The
full report is available at: https://www.broadbandcommission.org/download/5913/
- ends -
| 1. | ITU: Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2022 (forthcoming). |
| 2. | GSMA: Accelerating
affordable smartphone ownership in emerging markets. |
| 3. | Pew
Research Center: Smartphone ownership is growing rapidly around the
world, but not always equally. |
| 4. | A4AI: Affordability
Report 2021. |
For further information:
Vodafone Group
Media Relations |
Investor Relations |
GroupMedia@vodafone.com |
IR@vodafone.co.uk |
About Vodafone
Unique in its scale as the largest
pan-European and African technology communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through its innovation, technology,
connectivity, platforms, products and services.
Vodafone operates mobile and fixed
networks in 21 countries, and partners with mobile networks in 47 more. As of 30 June 2022, we had over 300m mobile customers,
more than 28m fixed broadband customers and 22m TV customers. Vodafone is a world leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting around
160m devices and platforms.
We have revolutionised fintech
in Africa through M-Pesa, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2022. It
is the region's largest fintech platform, providing access to financial services for more than 50m people in a secure, affordable and
convenient way.
Our purpose is to connect for a
better future by using technology to improve lives, digitalise critical sectors and enable inclusive and sustainable digital societies.
We are committed to reducing our
environmental impact to reach net zero emissions across our full value chain by 2040, while helping our customers reduce their own carbon
emissions by 350m tonnes by 2030. We are driving action to reduce device waste and achieve our target to reuse, resell or recycle
100% of our network waste.
We believe in the power of connectivity
and digital services to improve society and economies, partnering with governments to digitalise healthcare, education and agriculture
and create cleaner, safer cities. Our products and services support the digitalisation of businesses, particularly small and medium
enterprises (SMEs).
Our inclusion for all strategy
seeks to ensure no-one is left behind through access to connectivity, digital skills and creating relevant products and services such
as access to education, healthcare and finance. We are also committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects
the customers and societies we serve.
For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com,
follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorised.
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VODAFONE
GROUP |
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PUBLIC
LIMITED COMPANY |
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|
(Registrant) |
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Dated: October 3, 2022 |
By: |
/s/ R E S MARTIN |
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Name:
Rosemary E S Martin |
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Title:
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary |
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