LONDON (Bloomberg) - Vodafone Group plc., the world's biggest mobile-phone company by sales, will add 490 new sales and customer service employees and cut 450 management jobs at its UK operations to boost wireless Internet service revenue.

The company will hire 330 retail workers, 130 business sales workers and 30 online sales and customer service employees, Vodafone said today in an e-mailed statement. The 450 job cuts will mainly be at the company's headquarters in Newbury, England.

Vodafone UK CEO Nick Read said the company is focused on expanding its "market leading" position in Internet product and service sales and the moves will help meet growing demand. The company also said yesterday that it plans to build a new customer service center in Stoke-on-Trent that will have 850 employees.

The job cuts represent a 20 percent reduction in senior management at Vodafone UK. The company said the moves will also simplify its business and speed its operations.

Vodafone rose 4.2 pence, or 2.8 percent, to 153 pence in London trading. The shares have fallen 19 percent this year.