2.3 billion euros for Nokia and Ericsson: Vodafone buys 5G network technology
Vodafone has awarded a €2.3 billion contract to Ericsson and Nokia to modernize the UK's 5G network over the next ten years.
(Image: Kitawit Jitaton/Shutterstock.com)
Vodafone is paying Ericsson and Nokia €2.3 billion for new telecommunications equipment in the UK to expand and modernize its 5G network by 2034. A total of 99.95 percent of the British population is expected to benefit from this.
As reported by VodafoneThree (formerly Vodafone and Three), Nokia will equip approximately 7,000 locations across the UK with RAN (Radio Access Network) equipment and also modernize parts of VodafoneThree's voice network as part of the contract. In addition to modernizing existing 4G and 5G infrastructure, Ericsson will even equip 10,000 locations in the country with RAN technology for the 5G standalone network (5G-SA).
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This decision comes just three months after VodafoneThree was founded in June 2025. The telecommunications company, which emerged from the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK, is now the UK's largest mobile network operator for the fixed-line and mobile market.
VodafoneThree claims that the rollout of the network will contribute up to ÂŁ102 billion to economic growth over the next ten years and create up to 13,000 jobs in engineering and construction, 74 percent of which will be outside London. This is expected to create new employment opportunities in smaller towns and communities.
(aki)
