VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

Press Release

Just a few months after its creation, VodafoneThree has today announced the next major milestone in building the UK’s best network, with the appointment of strategic build partners to support the delivery of one of Europe and the UK’s largest, privately-funded infrastructure projects, totalling contracts worth more than £2 billion. 

Global communications technology leaders Ericsson and Nokia will deliver part of the unprecedented £11 billion network investment plan. By providing world-class connectivity to all corners of the UK, this investment will boost the UK economy by up to £102 billion (between 2025 and 2035). In turn, delivering the infrastructure needed by all sectors to power Britain’s digital future, including energy, financial services, manufacturing, security and technology. The deal will span an eight-year period and uses the latest technology and R&D to make sure that VodafoneThree’s network will deliver world-leading 5G technology over the course of the decade. 

VodafoneThree’s fully funded and regulated plan to build the network at pace will bring jobs to every region of the UK, creating as many as 13,000 jobs in the engineering, construction and maintenance of telecom towers, fibre optics, and base stations over the entire eight-year build period. 

The majority (74%) of roles created will be outside of London and the South East, bringing employment opportunities to people in towns and communities across the four nations. This reinforces VodafoneThree’s commitment to supporting national growth through digital transformation, while equipping today and tomorrow’s talent with the skills they need for the future. 

VodafoneThree’s plan is front loaded. In year one, nearly three-quarters of the population will have access to VodafoneThree’s fastest 5G speeds, increasing to 90% of the population with access to 5G SA in year three. The network build will transform connectivity across the country, bringing 5G Standalone (5G SA) to 99.95% population by 2034. 

Max Taylor, CEO, VodafoneThree, said: “We said we would deliver at pace and, just a few months in, we are delighted to announce our strategic partners, Ericsson and Nokia, that will work with us to deliver our ambition of building the UK’s best network. They bring the scale and expertise needed to accelerate the delivery of a resilient, secure, world-class and future-ready network, and together, we are laying the foundations for the UK’s digital future.” 

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: “We are proud to partner with VodafoneThree as their primary vendor to power them with the most advanced programmable network products, software and solutions in the world. Trusted high-performing programmable networks are critical to success for the UK’s digital economy. AI, automation and virtual/augmented reality won’t reach their potential without them.” 

Justin Hotard, President and CEO at Nokia said: “Today’s networks need new levels of performance, trust, and resilience. We are pleased that VodafoneThree has chosen our industry-leading network solutions to build a future-proof 5G Standalone network across the UK to meet the needs of customers today and as the AI supercycle accelerates.” 

As part of the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its next generation, high-performing Radio Access Network (RAN) and core network solutions across the UK. In addition to modernising existing 4G and 5G infrastructure, the deployment of Ericsson RAN over 10,000 sites in the UK will underpin VodafoneThree’s population-wide rollout of 5G SA connectivity by 2034. 

Nokia will supply equipment from its ultra-performance Radio Access Network portfolio to approximately 7,000 sites across the UK. Nokia will also modernise part of VodafoneThree’s voice core. This will deliver premium connectivity to VodafoneThree’s customers nationwide with improved speeds, coverage, capacity and a smooth transition to 5G Standalone networks. 

The two partners make up the majority, but not the entirety, of VodafoneThree’s network build which will culminate in a greater number of sites. 

Four British based site-build partners with extensive experience – Beacon Communication Services Limited, Circet Wireless Limited, M Group Limited and WHP Telecoms Limited – will accompany the technology partners, delivering vital work to enable the build across the UK. 

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Author: Ernestro Casas -

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