TIMELINE-Vodafone's plan to boost cost cuts

May 19 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L), the world's largest mobile phone group by revenues, is to accelerate cost cutting after forecasting profit would, at best, be flat in the coming year and announcing a 5.9 billion pound impairment charge.

Following are key events at Vodafone in the past year:

Feb. 2008 - Launches an Internet Services unit and appoints Microsoft veteran Pieter Knook as its director.

March - Says it will cut 450 jobs within UK management.

May - Announces the departure of CEO Arun Sarin and names his deputy, Vittorio Colao, as replacement.

-- Says will pay 7.72 billion riyals ($2.12 billion) for Qatar's second mobile phone licence.

July - Pays $900 million for a 70 percent stake in Ghana Telecom, the country's third-largest mobile phone operator.

-- Cuts revenue outlook due to problems in Spain.

-- Announces a surprise 1 billion pound ($2 billion) buyback programme after its stock crashed 14 percent, wiping nearly 11 billion pounds ($16.88 billion) off its market value.

Nov. - Takes control of South Africa's largest mobile operator, Vodacom Group (VODJ.J), after agreeing to buy a 15 percent stake for 22.5 billion rand ($2.28 billion) from fixed-line group Telkom (TKGJ.J).

-- Cuts its full-year revenue outlook for the second time in four months and announces 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in cost cuts.

Dec. - An Indian court dismisses a petition against a $2 billion tax bill relating to Vodafone's purchase of a mobile phone operation in India in 2007.

Feb. 2009 - Says will merge its Australian businesses with Hutchison Whampoa (0013.HK) to create a company with 6 million customers and combined annual revenue of A$4 billion ($2.7 billion).

-- Says will cut about 500 jobs in Britain, or 5 percent of its UK workforce.

March - Agrees to share network infrastructure with Telefonica (TEF.MC) in four European countries, the biggest deal of its kind to cover more than one country.

May - A South African court throws out a bid by trade union federation COSATU to block the listing of Vodacom. The decision allows Vodafone to increase to 65 percent its stake in Vodacom.

-- Vodafone says it will accelerate cost cutting plans after forecasting profits would be flat at best in the coming year and announcing a 5.9 billion pound impairment charge.