UK-based telecommunications giant Vodafone has opened its new European R&D centre in Malaga with plans to create 600 skilled jobs. The company plans to invest €225m ($253m) in the facility by early 2027. It will focus on the development of new digital solutions and services based on unified communications and will handle commercial operations of the Vodafone Group and its customers across 11 countries.

Chief executive officer of Vodafone Spain, Colman Deegan, said: “The opening of Vodafone’s European R&D centre in Malaga reflects the company’s commitment to the Spanish market and consolidates us as a key investor in the development of future digital infrastructures, solutions and services that favour socio-economic progress. It will also help Spain continue to be a pole of attraction for digital talent and an international benchmark in the creation of products and services based on innovation and new first-rate technologies.”

The company has initially hired 40 staff and will recruit for additional positions across a range of disciplines including human resources, cybersecurity, finance, blockchain, data engineers, front and back-end developers and digital sales.