Vodafone Australia facing mass job cuts

Vodafone Australia is predicting a "significant reduction" in the number of office roles across the country. Photo / Richard Robinson

Vodafone Australian plans to cut hundreds of jobs as it works to turn around its struggling performance.

Chief executive Bill Morrow said today there would be a "significant reduction" in the number of office roles across the country.

"Vodafone will be a leaner, more effective business that is completely focused on what our customers want now and for the long term," he said in a statement.

No specific numbers were provided, and comment was being sought from the company.

Vodafone employs about 4,000 people in Australia.

The job cuts are part of continued changes at Vodafone in response to falling customer numbers and poor mobile coverage.

Vodafone New Zealand communications manager Michelle Baguley said the restructure announced today by Vodafone Hutchison in Australia is specific to that business and not related to Vodafone NZ.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA), a joint venture between Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) and British mobile phone giant Vodafone Group, operates the brands Vodafone and '3' in Australia.

VHA lost 178,000 customers in the first half of calendar 2012, reducing its total customer base to 6.8 million.

"The network is beginning to improve, the customer benefits are starting to flow and we're intensifying our network investment as we position for future growth," Mr Morrow said.

But he said more work needed to be done.

"Our focus is providing a consistently good experience wherever and whenever our customers touch our brand," Mr Morrow said.

"We know we are not there yet."

The company would eliminate all non-essential costs and refocus its investments in its wireless data network, he said.

Vodafone has also begun a review of its customer support processes.

-AAP