The Vodafone Group has signed a $1.5 billion deal with Microsoft, to overhaul its digital offering with AI-based tools, in a bid to boost its enterprise offering and grow in African markets. Microsoft, in turn, gets a piece of the action, as it will use Vodafone’s fixed and mobile connectivity services – and become an investor in Vodafone’s IoT platform. The 10-year contract will be the landmark bid of Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle to uplift fortunes in the tired telecommunication sector, where the outlook for growth is sluggish. Microsoft is a logical partner, it has become the hottest kid on the block again, with its prominent leadership in AI through its involvement in OpenAI. This week, Microsoft surpassed Apple…