HP Signs Trans-Tasman Outsourcing Agreement

HP Signs Trans-Tasman Outsourcing Agreement with Vodafone Australia and Vodafone New Zealand

Auckland, 23 April 2002 – Hewlett-Packard Australia and New Zealand today announced that the company has signed a multi-million dollar, three-year trans-Tasman outsourcing contract with mobile telecommunications giants, Vodafone Australia and Vodafone New Zealand.

The agreement to outsource Vodafone’s helpdesks, desktop PC, and server operations across Australia and New Zealand was signed by acting managing director of HP Australasia, Christine Scammell and Vodafone Australia’s managing director, Grahame Maher.

Leveraging its existing strengths in the fields of technology management and outsourcing, HP succeeded in winning the contract over stiff competition.

“HP’s success in winning this project was very much due to the company’s willingness to offer transitional employment to Vodafone staff as part of the agreement,” said Tim Miles, Vodafone New Zealand’s managing director.

“Vodafone’s decision to sign on with HP is a reflection of our expertise in the field of outsourcing and IT management,” according to Mark Bowman, general manager, HP Services New Zealand. “Our team has worked hard to ensure that the solution we presented to Vodafone illustrated the common vision that our two companies share – to promote a world in which people can communicate, at any place, at any time. ”

In conjunction with the outsourcing agreement, a program to upgrade and standardise Vodafone’s software to Microsoft Exchange 2000 XP - offering Bluetooth enablement - is scheduled early in the contract.

The agreement aligns with Vodafone’s strategies of maintaining focus on developing innovative solutions for customers, whilst gaining value through the establishment of partnering with experts in non-core fields.

“The Vodafone/HP agreement paves the way for a mutually beneficial relationship between our companies, and we look forward to working with Vodafone in the future to maximise the value of the company’s IT infrastructure and services,” said Bowman.

HP Australia and New Zealand is rapidly becoming a market leader in IT outsourcing, and views the Vodafone contract as a reflection of market confidence in HP’s capabilities in this area.

About Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company, with 100 million proportionate customers. The company provides quality services to 2.12 million Australian customers, 1.04 million New Zealand customers and 77,000 Fijian customers. It has interests in mobile telephone networks in 28 countries over five continents.

About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company – a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services – is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at www.hp.com

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