Vodafone has released its half-yearly financial report for the 6 months to 30th September 2007.

Highlights as laid out by the group include overall revenue of £17 billion, an increase of 9%, with 2% revenue increase in Europe.

Growth in emerging markets, such as India and Eygpt, where Vodafone offers ultra low-cost handsets as well as services, was strong.

Vodafone's worldwide customer base rose by 35 million to 241 million as of the end of September.

The group has raised its outlook for the next financial period on the back of the results, and shares were up by more than 6p.

Arun Sarin, Chief Executive, commented: "These results reflect our continuing focus on the execution of our strategy. In Europe, we have performed well in competitive markets by driving strong growth in voice usage and data revenue, whilst improving cost efficiency".

"In EMAPA, we are capturing the revenue growth opportunities within emerging markets and benefiting from continuing momentum at Verizon Wireless. The increased interim dividend reflects the Board's confidence in how the business is progressing."