VodafoneThree’s upgraded cloud-native 5G Core UK mobile network starts going live
Merged mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) have announced that they’ve started to roll-out their new Ericsson powered dual-mode and cloud-native 5G Core mobile network, which is said to have a total capacity of 9Tbps (Terabits per second) to help them meet future data demand as mobile broadband usage grows.
Just to recap. VodafoneThree has established a 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 previously committed to reach more than 99.95% of the UK’s 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.
The new 5G Core network will help to underpin that ambition and support their latest 5G+ enhancements, such as Network Slicing via their recently launched SuperMobile add-on. The upgraded 5G Core is said to represent the second major phase of VodafoneThree’s network transformation after they unified core-level sharing between both networks through their Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology, with its existing Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) over a multi-vendor 4G and 5G network.
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The new 5G Core will aim to start the evolution from that shared infrastructure and move it to a single, dedicated, and advanced core network from Ericsson, which they said has been “designed to deliver a step-change in performance, reliability, and readiness for future innovation for Vodafone and Three customers“.
Key benefits of the new core network include:
➤ Foundation for 5G SA and network slicing: The cloud-native, programmable core is the engine for delivering value through 5G SA including differentiated connectivity services, such as network slicing.
➤ Scalable capacity: Built to handle rapid data growth and support future needs as new services emerge.
➤ Enhanced stability and lower latency: A distributed architecture brings the core network closer to customers, improving latency, while advanced resilience reduces downtime.
➤ Operational agility: In-service software upgrades allow for infrastructure updates without disrupting customer traffic, enabling faster rollout of new features.
Hrvoje Jerkovic, Network Engineering Director at VodafoneThree, said:
“The activation of our new cloud-native 5G core network is a major milestone in our journey to build the UK’s best network. Following the successful integration of our radio networks earlier this year, we are now taking the next step by creating a single, highly advanced core network that will underpin the future of connectivity for consumers and businesses across the UK.
Together with Ericsson, we are building a network designed for the demands of tomorrow – delivering greater capacity, resilience and performance, while creating the foundation for innovations such as network slicing and new AI-powered services.”
The new core network is being rolled out under an 8-year strategic partnership with Ericsson, so its benefits will take time to reach every location – aligned to their 5G+ deployment plan.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Only for VF network. They’re not doing anything to improve Three.
Totally wrong this is literally the new 3 core network which VF will join later
That was the whole idea when the merger happened ?
I hope they activate and roll out IPv6 with the new core, like how Three uses the same core and has IPv6
4.3billion, usual monthly wage haha
I’ve not seen any improvements to my speed or signal since the merger. I’m on the Three network and was expecting to have at least noticed a small but tangible benefit by now in coverage.
I use Smarty which uses the Three network, well it was owned by Three and to be honest, I find the signal is worse in some places since the merger.
which is not surprise because Vodafone is a load of poop.
So correct me if I’m wrong, the way I read this is that people who pay loads more for fast 5g will get an improved service at some point in the next 8 years. The normal customers won’t see any change for about 15 years when SA 5g becomes the norm and they start on the next big thing! Not very exciting really then.
So what does cloud native mean in this context?
A lot of telcos used to run their own datacentres, but what that means is they need to buy enough servers support peak capacity, and then have the servers idle half the time. By running their service on the cloud they can scale it up and down and just spin up what they need
Cloud-native doesn’t mean public cloud, though. This could very well be running on a “private cloud” such as openstack inside those very same datacentres, and this is the kind of workload for which owning is better than renting. Not just on cost grounds but because it is far less complicated too.
I’m only aware of one MNO that basically tried to put it all on public cloud – Dish Mobile and the customer experience wasn’t great. Now they’ve mostly turned into an MVNO after selling the spectrum to someone else.
Funny how the 5g in the UK is so appalling. I get 1.5gb almost everywhere in Cyprus with cyta.
Well done.
Three’s network had much better signal and speeds, with uncapped packages at better prices. Since Vodafone took full control, my speeds have dropped drastically, likely due to lowering the power output on the 5G mast to save energy. Now they’re asking people to pay for an uncapped 5G add-on each month or to spend more for faster speeds this is crazy.