Ericsson and Vodafone have announced a five-year deal to modernize Vodafone’s network across several key markets. As part of the agreement, Ericsson will provide its high-performing programmable network solutions.
Under this deal, Ericsson will be Vodafone’s sole RAN vendor in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. In Germany, Romania, and Egypt, it will also serve as a major supplier. The move strengthens the partnership between the two companies and gives Vodafone a boost as it works on modernizing its network.
The focus is on improving Vodafone’s RAN infrastructure and the way the network is managed. This will open the door to upgrades and more advanced deployments over time. It lays the groundwork for a broad 5G Standalone rollout and will enable Vodafone to deliver connectivity solutions with guaranteed performance for both consumer and enterprise customers. Vodafone will deploy Ericsson’s Massive MIMO radios, RAN Compute solutions, and 5G Advanced RAN software across these networks.
A key part of the Ericsson and Vodafone partnership is rolling out of the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform along with AI-driven rApps. These will be introduced market by market to improve RAN performance, save energy, and manage networks that include multiple vendors. Germany will be the first market to deploy the platform and rApps for Ericsson and multi-vendor RAN management, with work scheduled to begin in Q4 2025.
Alberto Ripepi, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone Group, said: “This strategic partnership with Ericsson marks a significant step in our network evolution journey. By modernizing our network with latest generation equipment and embracing high-performing new 5G Advanced capabilities, we’re transforming our infrastructure for best customer experience and high network efficiency, utilizing automation and AI agents to seamlessly meet network demands in real time. We’re also laying the groundwork to capitalize on the emerging market for network APIs through our joint venture, Aduna. This powerful combination will allow us to expose our network capabilities to developers, spurring a wave of innovation in applications and services, and positioning Vodafone at the forefront of network technology and innovation.”
Patrick Johansson, Ericsson Senior Vice President and Head of Market Area Europe, Middle East and Africa, added: “We are proud to expand our long-standing relationship with Vodafone through this transformative agreement. This partnership aligns with our vision for high-performing programmable networks, laying a robust foundation for Vodafone to deliver differentiated connectivity experiences. By enabling innovative, performance-based solutions across consumer and enterprise segments, we’re opening new opportunities for service monetization and driving the next wave of telecommunications innovation.”
The partnership aims to lift Vodafone’s infrastructure to world-class standards. AI and automation will help make network management smarter, cut energy use, and improve overall performance.
With high-performing programmable network architectures in place, Vodafone can move faster on innovation, experiment with new use cases, and remain a leader in the global telecommunications industry.