India, Oct. 4 -- rather like energy companies or those grubs that eat rotting flesh.

When Vodafone last year announced plans to add another 7,000 software engineers to its ranks, one of the reasons it gave was to be less reliant on systems integrators.

"You only have to look at Amdocs, Accenture, TCS, IBM and look at their service provider revenues," complained Scott Petty, Vodafone's chief digital officer, almost a year ago.

"Service provider for them is probably their biggest sector next to banking."

BT, Vodafone's big UK rival, sounds equally unhappy. By hiring another 2,800 employees in product management, software engineering and related technical activities, it aims to "reduce its use of subcontracted labor," it said in July.

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