The latest landing at one of Scotland's busiest airports is just one part of VodafoneThree's network investment plan for the whole of the UK.
Dedicated Vodafone 5G and 4G coverage has been switched on at Aberdeen International Airport, bringing faster download speeds to Vodafone customers travelling through and working at the airport. Vodafone 5G SA is scheduled to arrive in the next few months.
With its supersonic speeds, the arrival of Vodafone 5G will ensure Vodafone customers with compatible devices and price plans will be able to download box sets for their trip, change holiday bookings at the last minute and check the status of their flight faster than before, as well as enjoy better-quality voice calls. Businesses based across the airport will also be able to use 5G to improve existing operations, such as systems like ePOS (Electronic Point of Sale tills).
The future deployment of Vodafone 5G SA will further enhance productivity for airport-based businesses by supporting various applications from automated passport control to stock control. In recent modelling, VodafoneThree found that the 5G SA network it will build by 2035 – as part of itsUK-wide £11 billion infrastructure programme – could help boost Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire regional economic output (GVA) by up to £909m, with the transportation and storage industry in the area delivering up to £33m in GVA alone.
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Opened in July 1934, Aberdeen International Airport now serves over three million passengers each year and supports more than 3,400 jobs locally. Gavin Revell, Chief Information Technology Officer at AGS Airports, which owns and operates Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton airports, said: “At AGS we are embarking on a digital transformation journey centered around the provision of a seamless customer experience. In the connected world, accessibility to super-fast, reliable data networks is simply a customer expectation. This initiative ensures our airports are ready to meet the connectivity needs of both our customers and operational teams.”
The improvements follow the installation of a dedicated in-building system by specialists Exchange Communications. Tom Sime, CEO at Exchange Communications said: “We have delivered a system to handle the current and future passenger requirements for this unique airport. Aberdeen International Airport is not only the gateway for the North-East of Scotland to Europe and beyond, but the main artery to Scotland’s oil and gas network in the North Sea, which is why ensuring it is amongst the most connected travel hubs in the country is incredibly important. The work we have done at the airport means that we have laid the foundations for the airport to easily keep up with technology, it can adapt as it grows and as its need for connectivity and capacity changes.”
VodafoneThree’s £11 billion investment programme
In June 2025, VodafoneThree announced a UK-wide £11 billion investment programme which has already:
VodafoneThree has also committed to building a 5G Standalone (5G SA) network that will reach more than 99.96% of the UK’s population by 2034.
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said: “Our investment doesn’t stop at cities, towns and villages. We’re also ensuring our customers have the coverage they expect when visiting busy locations such as airports, stadiums, train stations and shopping centres. Aberdeen International is a great example of the work we are undertaking to improve our coverage for our customers and another clear signal of our ability to move at pace in our wider commitment of building the UK’s best network.”
In August 2024, Vodafone announced a major multi-year partnership with Scottish Rugby to become a Principal Partner, and back of shirt sponsor, of the Men’s and Women’s teams.
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