London, Nov 23: Under the leadership of Arun Sarin, the Indian origin chief executive of Vodafone, the mobile firm has seen impressive half-year results that increased interim dividend by 20 per cent and buying back of shares worth pounds 2.5 billion. "This is the world's best mobile business on the brink of a massive change in new products and services", he told the Sunday Times here in an exclusive interview.

"With the Vodafone brand, with 125 million customers and 60,000 employees, this is a great challenge", he added. It helps, of course, that he has just reported half-year results that are impressive even by Vodafone's standard, the daily said.

Revenues were strong and profits, on the company's preferred measure, were 26 per cent higher at pounds 5.4 billion.

Most striking of all was a 61 per cent increase in free cash-flow after capital spending. This pounds 4.6 billion has persuaded the company to bow to pressure to improve its returns policy. Vodafone has increased its interim dividend by 20 per cent and is buying back pounds 2.5 billion shares.

"I can't think of many companies that can invest in the customer franchise, invest in the business, and return capital to shareholders", he said.

Bureau Report