Vodafone Set to Boost Power Backup at Key Mobile Mast Sites

Mobile network operator Vodafone has revealed that they’ve started a new “Enhanced Power” initiative, which will work to boost resilience and extend power backup time at around 10,000 key mobile sites across Europe and Africa using a mix of AI and other technologies. This is also likely to benefit the UK, although specific country details aren’t yet available.

Mobile operators in the UK currently have a legal obligation to identify, prepare for and reduce the risk of anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of their networks. But such networks are highly complex and outages can still occur, with Ofcom previously warning that the consequences of these are “likely to become more severe as society becomes increasingly dependent on them to function.”

However, the issue of improving power backup for Radio Access Networks (RAN) is not an easy one to resolve, with a number of UK mobile operators being known to have balked at the potential costs of deploying national battery backup (here and here); costs that could potentially work their way into higher retail prices for consumers.

Despite this, Vodafone is moving forward with the introduction of a new network resilience programme – the Vodafone Enhanced Power initiative. The programme is designed to boost resilience for emergency and critical online services, public safety, as well as maintain connectivity of vital services for its mobile customers across Europe and Africa, in the event of a major outage.

The “primary objective” of the new initiative is to further enhance resilience at more than 10,000 critical mobile infrastructure sites that support emergency services (police, fire, ambulances etc.) across Europe. It is being rolled out throughout Vodafone’s European markets over the “next two years“, starting with Portugal.

Vodafone’s Enhanced Power Initiative

The initiative is based on both existing temporary backup systems and innovative software-based solutions using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict, control and conserve backup time as long as possible. Power supplies are designed to best handle an outage depending on its severity and size on local, regional, and national levels. All the solutions also aim to reduce current CO2 emission levels.

For smaller localised outages, which typically affects up to 10 mobile sites, Vodafone will continue to use portable solutions known as Cells on Wheels (COW). This will be complemented by Vodafone’s unique Instant Network Emergency Response, providing free Wi-Fi and phone charging stations during disaster relief efforts. Several Vodafone engineers form part of the Instant Network Emergency Response (INER) team. Since 2012, the INER programme has deployed to over 28 disasters worldwide and recently supported in Jamaica after the outbreak of Hurricane Melissa.

To tackle wider regional blackouts, affecting tens or more than a hundred mobile sites, Vodafone will draw on its arsenal of temporary and back up units, as well as deploy Adaptive Power Backup. This is a new AI-controlled intelligent technique to remotely extend the base station battery backup time, potentially doubling it in certain scenarios.

Vodafone has also drawn up a more comprehensive network resilience and power backup plan in the case of a national or cross-border blackout. In addition to reinforcing over 10,000 critical sites across Europe, Vodafone is initially prioritising the following network areas:

• Core mobile sites: Commonly known as the “brain” of a mobile network, it comprises of over 400 mobile data centres and large backbone sites located across EU countries. These facilities are equipped with battery backups and diesel generators, providing a minimum of 72 hours of backup power or guaranteed refuelling support within at least 48 hours.
• Aggregation mobile sites: Ensuring a minimum of four hours of backup power for key locations that serve as network junctions to route customer data efficiently. The four-hour battery specification for aggregation sites is a conservative estimate based on maximum site load.
• Critical Access Sites: Over 10,000 essential radio and backhaul access sites in Europe supporting mobile coverage for emergency services, command and control centres, hospitals, government offices, airports, and other major transport hubs, will be equipped with a minimum of four hours’ backup power. This is the first phase of a wider programme to equip many more sites with the latest generation of battery technology.

Vodafone is also looking to space to build resilience by connecting everyday smartphones and other cellular devices of emergency responders via satellite, even in the most dangerous and challenging environments.

The reason for kicking this off in Portugal has to do with the fact that the country suffered a significant power blackout back in April 2025, which hit essential services such as telecommunications, transportation, and banking and even extended to certain regions of Spain and France. At the peak of the power outage, about 60% of mobile users in Portugal lost connectivity or struggled to connect.

Vodafone has also launched an AI-driven Adaptive Power Backup service in Greece, and is trialling it in Turkey, before deploying to additional markets during 2026. The system uses AI to predict outages and optimise power consumption, which enables nearly twice the backup duration and ensures emergency services remain connected three times longer than the industry standard. It works by remotely and autonomously shutting down non-essential equipment or putting it into a low-energy state (cell sleep mode) whilst leaving open crucial channels for emergency services, voice calls and text messages.

The mobile operator noted how just mandating 4-hour backup at every telecom site belonging to all operators in the UK would require a one-time investment of between £2.2–4.4 billion (€2.6–5.2 billion), according to a study by the regulator Ofcom, with similar proportional costs predicted across Europe. Hence the focus on AI and alternative approaches, such as utilising idle capacity and generating revenue through energy trading via Virtual Power Plant (VPP) services.