Vodafone, a global network operator in 16 countries, has an intriguing backstory that many are only just discovering.
The company was established in July 1984 as Racal Strategic Radio under the leadership of chairman Ernest Harrison. Keen to expand his business, Harrison brokered a deal with Lord Weinstock of the UK General Electric Company, gaining access to their battlefield radio technology.
Harrison then tasked Gerry Whent, head of Racal’s military radio division, with investigating potential everyday applications for this technology. After visiting a mobile radio factory in Virginia, Whent returned with a vision for Racal Strategic Radio Ltd, which he later rebranded as Racal Telecom.
In September 1991, Racal Telecom split from Racal Electronics to form Vodafone Group PLC, with Whent at the helm as CEO.
When it came to naming the company, the founders wanted a brand that encapsulated their offering of “reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones”. They decided on a combination of three words – voice, data, fone – thus giving birth to the name Vodafone.
One curious Quora user posed the question: “What was the old name for Vodafone?” while another inquired: “What does Voda from Vodafone stand for?” One user said: “Vodafone was formed under the Racal telecommunications brand and was launched in January 1985 under the name Racal Vodafone Holdings Ltd. Vodafone stands for Voice, Data and Phone services.”
Another added: “I still remember when walking down the halls of the former Vodafone Office in Dusseldorf the history of the company: The name Vodafone comes from voice data fone as phone of course, chosen by the company to reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones.
“I believe that the first person to make a mobile phone was Sir Michael Harrison, the son of former Vodafone chairman Sir Ernest Harrison, who became the first to test the system when he called his father at midnight on January 1, 1985.”
