Switching on improved coverage across the UK

From expanding 5G to shutting down 3G, here’s a taste of what Vodafone’s engineers have been doing to keep the company’s customers connected.

Rural coverage improvements with the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme

The Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme is a £1bn joint initiative between Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators. It uses mast sharing on existing sites in rural areas to bring a greater choice of networks to more people. It is also building new shared masts to connect areas that currently have no coverage at all.

Rural communities and locations across the UK are now receiving more reliable 4G as part of Vodafone’s ongoing commitment to the programme. Over the last few months, sites have gone live across the UK, from Broughton on the Scottish Borders to Tregeare in North Cornwall. This ensures customers who live, work and visit these beautiful rural locations have the 4G signal they need for fast data speeds and better-quality voice calls.

5G towns and cities

Vodafone 5G is now available in hundreds of places, with improvements taking place across a range of our larger cities including London, Manchester, Belfast, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Cambridge as well as other locations such as Edinburgh Airport, Blandford Forum in Dorset and Barry, South Wales.

OpenRAN – rollout locations across the West

An ever-increasing number of Vodafone’s mobile network sites are built using OpenRAN technology. Instead of getting one-size-fits-all radio equipment from a single manufacturer, Vodafone can instead use different suppliers for different components. The benefit of this mix-and-match approach is that only the best products and solutions are used. As a result, existing coverage has been improved in a number of locations over the last few months including St Austell in Cornwall, Dawlish in Devon and Cynwyl Elfed in Carmarthen.

Capital investment

Strategic network deployments have taken place in some of London’s busiest locations, such as the introduction of 5G to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium. The rollout of Vodafone’s network across the Tube continues at pace, with 4G and 5G currently being switched on across platforms, stations and tunnels. More than 30 stations across the Central, Northern and Jubilee lines, as well as the Elizabeth line, now have Vodafone signal, with more stations and tunnels across the city getting coverage throughout the year.

Special event trailers – rolling out at an event near you

The rollout of Vodafone’s network coverage trailers – or COWs (Coverage on Wheels) – has begun ahead of festival season. Their first deployment was at Cheltenham Racecourse for the Gold Cup in March and will continue across the rest of the year, taking in some of the biggest events of the season including Glastonbury and Wimbledon.

Bye bye 3G – hello stronger 4G and 5G services

Vodafone’s legacy 3G network was switched off in February 2024, so the 3G radio frequencies can be repurposed to further strengthen 4G and 5G services across the UK.

As demand on Vodafone’s network grows, the company’s engineers will continue to improve it.

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