Vodafone Group plans to add 7,000 software engineers to its existing pan-European team of 9,000 by 2025, which will make them at least 50% of the total Vodafone Technology R&D operation by that date. The aim is to boost the operator’s self-sufficiency, and its ability to differentiate itself, in developing digital services. While some operators are increasingly relying on software integrators such as TechMahindra or CapGemini to ease the load of developing digital services, or of implementing software-based networks such as vRAN, Vodafone appears to be bucking that trend. It is also swimming against the tide in indicating that it also aims to keep a high measure of control over its cloud platform. Many operators are outsourcing data center, and…