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Vodafone maps out AI-ready Open RAN and 5G-Advanced network
Vodafone is combining Open RAN, 5G-Advanced, cloud-native infrastructure and AI automation in a long-term plan for more flexible mobile networks.
Vodafone is reshaping its mobile-network strategy around software, automation and more flexible radio infrastructure. In its official programme update, the operator describes progress on a five-year radio access network investment plan intended to improve connectivity across Europe and Africa.
The announcement is significant because it connects several developments that are often discussed separately: Open RAN, 5G-Advanced, cloud-native network cores, artificial intelligence and direct-to-device satellite connectivity. Vodafone says the programme is designed to support more adaptable networks for its 355 million mobile and broadband customers, although the update does not promise a single consumer launch date or identical features in every market.
Open RAN moves from trial to wider deployment
Germany is the first market named in Vodafone’s Open RAN rollout. The operator says its first Open RAN site is already live in Hannover, while Wismar was identified as the first city expected to be fully served by Vodafone with the technology. Samsung has been selected as a strategic supplier and is expected to equip thousands of sites in Germany, with further deployments planned in other European markets during the broader programme.
Open RAN separates parts of the radio-access system that have traditionally been supplied as a tightly integrated package. In practical terms, this can allow operators to combine equipment and software from different vendors, provided the components work together through open and interoperable interfaces. Vodafone presents that approach as a way to encourage network innovation and strengthen supply-chain resilience. It also creates a foundation for more programmable services at the mobile base station.
For smartphone users, the immediate effect is not a new setting or a visible app. The relevance is operational: a more software-defined network can give an operator additional ways to tune capacity, manage coverage and introduce new services without replacing every part of a site at once. Those benefits depend on local deployment, compatible equipment and network planning, so they should not be read as a guarantee of faster service for every Vodafone customer.
5G-Advanced is being built on a standalone core
Vodafone also says it is implementing a cloud-native 5G Standalone core across its European operations. Unlike a 5G service that relies partly on an existing 4G core, a standalone core is designed to support more advanced control of traffic and services. Vodafone lists network slicing, mission-critical communications, RedCap, L4S and Voice over New Radio among the technologies its infrastructure is intended to support as market demand and vendor support develop.
Network slicing could let operators configure a portion of network resources for a specific performance profile, such as predictable latency for an industrial application. Mission-critical communications target voice, video and data services for first responders, public safety and transport. RedCap is aimed at lower-power connected devices, including some wearables, while L4S is designed to keep latency and packet loss more consistent when networks are busy. Voice over New Radio would carry voice calls directly over a 5G network.
Vodafone’s wording matters here. These are capabilities associated with the operator’s planned 5G-Advanced evolution, not a statement that every feature is already available on every tariff, handset or national network. Availability will depend on regulatory approvals, device support, software releases, commercial decisions and the maturity of Vodafone’s partner ecosystem.
AI enters the radio network
The operator is also working with Ericsson on a RAN Automation platform with AI-based functionality. Vodafone says its initial focus is energy-efficiency optimisation. In a radio network, software can monitor traffic and network conditions, then help operators adjust resources to match demand. Turning off unused connections during quieter periods could reduce energy consumption, provided the system can restore capacity quickly when demand returns.
This is a different use of AI from a phone-based assistant. The intelligence described by Vodafone operates inside network-management systems rather than directly on a smartphone. Its purpose is to help engineers observe, tune and automate parts of the radio network. Vodafone frames the work as a step toward more robust and autonomous infrastructure, but the announcement does not provide independent performance measurements or a timetable for fully autonomous operation.
Satellite connectivity is part of the wider plan
Vodafone is also collaborating with AST SpaceMobile to introduce direct-to-device mobile broadband in Europe and connect it with terrestrial networks. The companies have established SatCo, a European joint venture intended to provide services to mobile operators across the continent. In principle, this type of network could complement terrestrial coverage in areas where building conventional sites is difficult. Vodafone’s announcement does not specify a consumer launch date, supported devices or country-by-country availability.
Viewed together, the projects show how mobile-network competition is moving beyond headline download speeds. Operators are now investing in the underlying systems that determine how efficiently a network can respond to congestion, support specialised services, reduce energy use and extend coverage. Vodafone’s plan is still a multi-year programme, but its direction is clear: combine open hardware and software, a 5G Standalone core, AI-assisted automation and satellite links into a more adaptable connectivity platform.
For customers, the practical test will be whether those architectural changes translate into more consistent service in crowded areas, better support for demanding applications and fewer coverage gaps. Vodafone has outlined the components of that strategy; the next proof points will be the scale of the Open RAN deployment, the availability of 5G-Advanced features and the eventual commercial details of satellite-to-phone connectivity.