Vodafone UK Launch Pay TV and 5G+ SuperMobile Broadband Service

Broadband and mobile operator Vodafone (VodafoneThree) has this morning announced the launch of two major new products, including the provider’s first pay TV product for UK customers with a home broadband, 5G Broadband or mobile plan and “SuperMobile“, which promises to give you up to 4x faster data speeds via their 5G+ (Standalone) network for an additional cost.

The new products are being introduced as part of VodafoneThree’s wider post-merger plan to invest £11bn into upgrading the UK’s 5G mobile infrastructure and coverage over the next decade (here, here and here). The combined business has also previously stated that it aspires to reach more than 99.95% of the UK population with their 5G Standalone (5GSA / 5G+) network by 2034 and to push fixed wireless access (mobile home broadband) to 82% of households by 2030, among other things.

One of the key enhancements being introduced as part of their expanded 5G+ deployment is network slicing technology. This essentially allows for multiple virtual network slices across the same physical network. Each slice is isolated from other network traffic to give dedicated performance, with the features of the slice typically being tailored to specific use case requirements (online gaming, enhanced mobile broadband, payment processing etc.).

Regular readers may recall that, in April 2026, Vodafone became the first UK mobile operator to launch commercial 5G network slicing (here), which at the time was aimed more at business customers seeking faster and more guaranteed mobile broadband performance – particularly in highly congested areas (stadiums, festivals, university campuses etc.). But today that changes as the operator has expanded this to consumers with SuperMobile.

What is Vodafone SuperMobile?

According to the announcement, SuperMobile will allow both consumer and business customers to “choose a truly differentiated quality experience [via their] fastest, most reliable and most secure plan“. The service itself is available to those on Pay Monthly contracts for just £3 per month more than their full-speed Xtra plans, rising to £8 more on SIM-only 100Mbps plans, £4 more on handset 100Mbps plans, and as a rolling monthly add-on for £12.

Benefits of SuperMobile (Official Claims)

➤ Super Fast: Up to 4x faster than Vodafone’s standard plans on its new 5G+ FastTrack for fast downloads and streaming on-the-go.

➤ Super Reliable: Dedicated 5G+ FastTrack, guaranteed minimum speeds – the first and only mobile network operator globally to guarantee a minimum download speed of 15mbps – or customers can leave without a fee.

➤ Super Secure: Includes advanced security features enabled by 5G+ encryption, as well as market leading Secure Net Mobile which protects against malware and viruses, provides identity protection, scam call protection and network level parental controls at no additional cost.

➤ All on the UK’s biggest network: More network sites than any other network in the UK, giving customers greater coverage.

The introduction of this feature follows shortly after EE launched their own take on consumer 5G+ Network Slicing technology via their ‘Fast Lane‘ feature (here). But it should be said that Vodafone only makes the “up to 4x faster” claim for usage up to their existing Fair Usage Policy (FUP) limit of 600GB (GigaBytes), after which we assume regular 5G speeds apply.

Max Taylor, CEO of VodafoneThree, said:

“Vodafone SuperMobile is tangible evidence of what the Vodafone and Three merger makes possible: better connectivity and real choice for customers. The UK needs to go faster, and with the country’s largest, best spectrum holding, and our £11bn investment we will build a faster, higher-quality network than anyone else.

SuperMobile is super-fast, super-reliable and super-secure. Ideal for consumers watching content on-the-go, AI applications or businesses looking to benefit from digital transformation.”

However, some of these new services may raise concerns about a potential conflict with Ofcom’s Net Neutrality Guidelines, which more broadly reflects the principle of treating all internet traffic as equal. On the other hand, the regulator did relax these guidelines in 2023 to support premium products and specialised services, so it will be interesting to see how Ofcom views this new service in their next annual monitoring report.

One key question will thus be whether or not existing customers experience slower speeds in order to support those on the new faster slice, although initially this seems unlikely to make much difference as early adoption will probably be low.

What is Vodafone TV?

Some of our more seasoned readers will recall that Vodafone has long toyed with the idea of launching a Pay TV service of their own in the UK, which is something they already offer in other markets. But they never quite managed to make it work and, in fairness, this might not have been a bad thing as TV bundles have proven to be a challenging area of mixed success in recent years.

Nevertheless, ISPreview reported last year that the newly merged VodafoneThree were exploring the possibility of introducing a Pay TV service and related bundles (here), which has now come to pass. Vodafone TV is centred around a small plug-in Android-based hub (set-top-box), which promises to bring live TV, On Demand, streaming, gaming, music, and a “huge range of content apps” together in one place, without the need for a dish or aerial (broadband-based).

The TV service will come with both Netflix and HBO Max included, with options to add other streaming favourites too (at extra cost). On top of that their box will also support the new Freely TV platform, an additional 150+ live TV channels, 300+ games and thousands more content apps through the Google Play Store. The box also supports 4K (Ultra HD), Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio.

All of this will be supported by a companion app for your Smartphone, which means that viewers can start a programme at home and continue it outside of the home. The app mirrors profiles, recommendations, favourites and gameplay across devices to hopefully create a seamless entertainment experience.

Vodafone TV will be available from October 2026 to new and existing Vodafone customers with a home broadband, 5G Broadband or a mobile plan (others tend to only bundle TV services with fixed line plans). The challenge for the operator is that they seem to be entering the pay TV market after others have scaled-back (e.g. TalkTalk) or abandoned (e.g. Plusnet) their own TV services.