Europe

VodafoneThree switches on Ericsson 5G core in the UK

The platform combines 4G and 5G functions. Its 9 Tbps figure is design capacity, not a measurement of present traffic.

VodafoneThree switched on an upgraded mobile core network developed with Ericsson on September 17. The platform supports operations serving 28.6 million customers and provides a foundation for differentiated connectivity services. Activation is an operational milestone; the resilience, speed and efficiency benefits described by the companies remain objectives that require measured results before they can be treated as proven customer outcomes. [1] [2]

The core determines how users are authenticated and how their data travels after a device connects to a radio site. Ericsson’s dual-mode system brings 4G and 5G functions together on computing infrastructure designed to scale through software. VodafoneThree says the project is designed for 9 terabits per second of capacity. That figure is a design target, not current carried traffic or the speed of an individual handset. [1] [2]

The investment is linked to SuperMobile, an offer that uses network slices to reserve resources for particular uses. VodafoneThree advertises up to four times faster speeds and a minimum 15 Mbps download rate where standalone 5G coverage applies; these are commercial terms and claims, not independently established results for every user. Its business Local Slicing service was already available at selected locations before this core announcement. [1] [3]

The project sits within an eight-year agreement the companies value at SEK 12.5 billion. VodafoneThree plans another slice for critical services in 2027, which should not be described as a launched product today. The actual effect on latency, stability and available capacity in each area remains to be measured. The milestone matters because the core can enable differentiated services, but deploying it alone does not establish their benefits. [1] [2]

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