VodafoneThree begin UK rollout of new AI-ready 5G Massive MIMO mobile network

Broadband and mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) has announced that they’ve become the first provider in the world to start deploying Ericsson’s new AIR 3266 Massive MIMO Antenna with integrated 5G Standalone (5G+) radio kit for mid-band spectrum, which promises improved spectral efficiency, performance (mobile broadband speeds) and power savings.

According to the blurb, the new kit can support up to 400MHz of bandwidth (mid-band TDD spectrum) and introduces dedicated neural accelerators, which enables AI models to optimise time-sensitive radio functions in real time, so performance stays consistent even when traffic patterns change (i.e. it’s much better at handling congestion).

The use of Massive MIMO (massive multiple-input multiple-output) technology will also help by harnessing a large number of antenna elements to improve spectral and energy efficiency (i.e. the transmitting and receiving of more than one data signal simultaneously over the same radio channel).

As part of this Ericsson have also deployed their latest AI-native Scheduler for Link Adaptation which, in initial testing, has demonstrated up to 20% higher downlink throughput under congested conditions. VodafoneThree separately plan to trial the scheduler before the end of the financial year, and subject to successful validation, will roll it out across the UK in 2027.

Iain Milligan, Network Development and Infrastructure Director at VodafoneThree, said:

“The deployment of Ericsson’s AIR 3266 is another important step in our £11 billion investment to build the UK’s best network. As we continue to expand our 5G Standalone footprint across the UK, this next-generation technology will help us deliver greater capacity and improved coverage, while also reducing energy consumption and simplifying deployment. It also creates a platform for introducing new AI-powered capabilities that can optimize network performance in real-time, helping us deliver an even better experience for customers as demand for data continues to grow.”

The deployment, which forms part of VodafoneThree’s wider £11bn plan to upgrade their 5G mobile infrastructure and coverage over the next decade (here, here and here), has so far only gone live on their combined network in London. But many more sites are expected to follow over the next few months and years.

Just to recap. The operator is currently committed to reaching more than 99.96% of the UK’s population with their fastest 5G+ network by 2034 (99% by 2030) and to push fixed wireless access (mobile home broadband) to 82% of households by 2030, among other things.