Vodafone Business, the business arm of Dublin-based Vodafone Ireland, has introduced Device as a Service, a fully managed smartphone subscription for Irish organisations with 25 or more employees.

The service matters to the sector because it replaces outright device purchases with a monthly subscription that covers management, repair and end-of-life handling.

Vodafone describes the service as the first of its kind in Ireland, with businesses able to lease smartphones and manage them through a dedicated online platform. Terms of 12, 24 or 36 months are available with predictable monthly costs.

The online self-service portal provides device tracking, reporting and lifecycle visibility, with smartphones, support and lifecycle services brought together in one managed offering.

Subscribers also gain access to repair and replacement services, and devices are refurbished or responsibly recycled at the end of their working life. The launch targets upfront costs, time-consuming repairs, device tracking and end-of-life disposal, which Vodafone identifies as common management challenges.

Research by Fraunhofer Austria estimated that 7.6 million smartphones are lying unused in Irish households, containing about €18.5 million of recyclable raw materials. Vodafone says keeping devices in circulation for longer and structuring end-of-life management can help organisations reduce waste.

Jo Gilfoy, Vodafone Business Director, said: “Devices need to be purchased, deployed, repaired, tracked, upgraded and eventually retired, creating additional pressure for many organisations and IT teams.” Gilfoy added: “We’re also seeing growing interest from businesses in extending the life of technology and reducing waste.”

Vodafone Ireland marks 25 years in the country, and the service adds to Vodafone Business’s portfolio of managed services and digital solutions. By contrast, Vodafone’s UK Device-as-a-Service offering, announced earlier this year, targets mid-sized organisations of 250 to 1,000 employees, which makes the Irish threshold of 25 employees considerably lower.

The structural driver is the shift from capital expenditure on devices to subscription-based operating costs, as IT teams look to hand device lifecycle administration to a single managed provider.

For the sector, the launch brings subscription-based device management to smaller Irish organisations, widening the market for managed services beyond large enterprises.

Source: irishtechnews.ie / techcentral.ie / vodafone.ie / vodafone.co.uk