Microsoft and Vodafone team up for online services

Vodafone has partnered with Microsoft to offer the latter's online services to small and medium-sized businesses through computer, mobile phone and browser.

The deal will merge Microsoft Online Services with Vodafone's voice and data services, and provide firms with one solution for their "communications and collaboration" needs, according to the companies.

The service will let small and medium-sized businesses use Microsoft Exchange Online for email and calendars, Microsoft SharePoint Online for team portals, Microsoft Office Communications Online for instant messaging and Microsoft Office Live Meeting for web and video conferencing.

Vodafone said that the service is already available in the US, and will go live in Spain and Germany later this year. A Vodafone spokeswoman said that the firm had not yet given any dates for a potential UK release, but a Microsoft spokeswoman said that the firm "expects the fully integrated solution [in the UK] to be available in 2010".

Tom Craig, Vodafone's global business services director, added: "The demands on our customers are changing dramatically in today's complex business and economic environment.

"By combining Vodafone's fixed and mobile communication services with Microsoft Online Services, we can provide all the elements of a fully hosted communications solution, delivering the real benefits of agility, flexibility, productivity and choice that our customers are demanding."