VodafoneThree completes world-first upgrade for 28.6 million UK customers
Key Points
- VodafoneThree has completed a world-first network upgrade, integrating core and radio sharing across a multi-vendor 4G and 5G network.
- 28.6 million Vodafone and Three customers now connect automatically to the best available coverage at no extra cost.
- Up to 50 million people (71% of the UK population) can access the fastest 5G speeds, and 16,500km² of mobile not spots have been removed.
- More than 7 million Three customers have seen 4G speeds rise by an average of 20%.
- The work forms part of an £11 billion programme targeting 99% 5G Standalone coverage by 2030.
VodafoneThree has switched on a network upgrade that gives 28.6 million customers automatic access to the best available coverage at no extra cost.
The operator, formed by the June 2025 merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK, said customers across both brands now connect to whichever network offers the strongest signal in their location, with no action required from the user.
The change covers more than 10,000 sites and improves speeds and reliability on both 4G and 5G.
VodafoneThree said that the upgrade has eliminated 16,500km² of mobile not spots, an area the company describes as ten times the size of London, by extending 4G coverage to places where neither brand previously reached.
Up to 50 million people, around 71% of the UK population, can now access VodafoneThree’s fastest 5G speeds following the pooling of both companies’ spectrum. More than 7 million Three UK customers have already seen their 4G speeds rise by an average of 20%.
The company said the technology also moves customers off congested sites at busy times, such as rush hour, to maintain performance.
VodafoneThree said the work marks the first time any operator has unified core and radio network sharing at a national scale across equipment from multiple vendors, a claim set out in a whitepaper published by Ericsson.
The integration combines Multi-Operator Core Network technology with the operator’s existing Multi-Operator Radio Access Network infrastructure, allowing the two networks to run as a single shared resource while keeping separate cores.
Ericsson, named as VodafoneThree’s lead build partner in September 2025, led the design and deployment.
The operator has also unlocked shared C-band spectrum, the mid band frequencies between 3.4GHz and 3.8GHz that balance coverage and capacity, across sites nationwide.
VodafoneThree holds more C-band spectrum than any other UK mobile operator, which it said lets it deploy faster 5G across a wider area.
The spectrum supports HD streaming, video calls and gaming for individuals, and applications such as real-time monitoring and connected devices for businesses.
“This world-first network upgrade shows how VodafoneThree is using cutting-edge technology to transform the UK’s digital infrastructure.
“By unifying core and radio sharing at a national level, while also introducing intelligent orchestration and dynamic capacity management, we’re setting a new benchmark for network performance,” said Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree.
“This upgrade means customers are already experiencing improved reliability and coverage, as well as access to our fastest 5G speeds today. But this is just the beginning. As we continue rolling out upgrades through our £11 billion investment, customers can expect even better performance, with even faster speeds,” he said.
The upgrade forms part of VodafoneThree’s £11 billion investment programme, which the company says will create as many as 13,000 jobs and bring 5G Standalone coverage to 99% of the UK population by 2030 and 99.96% by 2034.
