Vodafone Business teamed with Microsoft’s Italian unit to boost cloud and connectivity services in the country, under a broader initiative to promote the digital economy which the pair stated would cover companies of all sizes.

The UK-based business stated it is the first operator to join Microsoft’s cloud region partner alliance programme, part of a five-year digitalisation scheme to provide Azure cloud services to local enterprises.

Vodafone explained the collaboration will involve providing Microsoft with advanced network connectivity to accelerate cloud migration in business sectors, alongside “strategic investments” in training and marketing associated with cloud infrastructure.

CEO of Vodafone Italia Aldo Bisio underlined the digital economy could be a key to the country’s post-Covid-19 (coronavirus) recovery, citing technologies including “5G, edge computing and IoT” as enabling new business models.

These will employ Microsoft Azure and Vodafone’s 5G network to provide edge-compute services to sectors including manufacturing and retail.