She cautioned that the continent is falling behind other regions due to insufficient investment and a lack of scale.
In a LinkedIn post following a keynote speech earlier this week, she argued for the urgent need for Europe to strengthen its digital infrastructure to remain competitive globally, or risk relying on non European tech to progress.
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Della Valle took to the stage earlier this week flanked by Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, and Marc Murtra Millar, chairman of Indra.
Della Valle commented: “Together, we connect more than 300 million customers in Europe and invest more than €20 billion annually. We are keeping Europe connected with no limits, spanning from submarine cables to satellites.
“However, we now see Europe falling behind on digital connectivity. The reason is simple: investment per capita is lower than in other countries due to lack of scale. Yet digital connectivity is a key foundation for economic growth. And we also risk becoming increasingly dependent on non-European technology and infrastructure.
“It doesn’t need to be this way. Europe has some of the best global talent in connectivity, with strong capabilities to lead on innovation - whether in network architecture, Open APIs, integrated satellite connectivity or Open RAN….
“This is a key moment for Europe. If we can unleash scale and investment in our digital infrastructure, we can deliver the best-in-class connectivity needed to put Europe back in the fast lane!”
Della Valle warned against becoming reliant on U.S. and Asian technology providers for critical network infrastructure.
The United States and China have advanced significantly in 5G deployment, however European firms have struggled with regulatory hurdles and fragmented markets, leading to slower expansion and innovation.
The Vodafone CEO called this a “key moment for Europe,” urging policymakers and industry leaders to prioritise scaling and investment. She argued that with the right support, Europe could develop world-class connectivity solutions and emerge as a global leader.
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