VodafoneThree expands CityFibre deal for 5G Standalone rollout

VodafoneThree has signed a new agreement with CityFibre to use its network transmission services for selected mobile sites as part of the operator’s 5G Standalone rollout in the UK.

The deal extends an existing long-term partnership between the two companies. CityFibre is already a preferred supplier of full-fibre infrastructure for VodafoneThree’s broadband services.

CityFibre to connect selected mobile sites

CityFibre announced earlier in June that it had connected more than one million premises to its multi-gigabit full-fibre network. Broadband TV News reported that the company’s network now passes almost five million premises and supports broadband services from providers including Sky, Vodafone, TalkTalk, and challenger brands.

The new agreement makes CityFibre a preferred supplier for network transmission to connect selected VodafoneThree mobile sites across the UK. The company’s infrastructure also supports VodafoneThree’s retail broadband services across CityFibre’s footprint, which currently passes more than 4.7 million premises.

CityFibre plans to expand its network to more than eight million premises. VodafoneThree will continue to use CityFibre as a preferred supplier in areas where its network is available.

Vodafone was an early partner in CityFibre’s nationwide residential full-fibre rollout. More than 330,000 Vodafone residential broadband customers are already connected through CityFibre’s infrastructure.

Those services include Vodafone’s 2.2Gbps symmetrical home broadband product, which runs on CityFibre’s 10Gb XGS-PON network. XGS-PON is a fibre access technology that supports multi-gigabit download and upload speeds over passive optical networks.

5G SA rollout targets

The CityFibre agreement is part of VodafoneThree’s wider £11 billion UK network investment programme. The operator has said the plan will support 99% 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030 and up to 99.96% by 2034.

The operator has also named Ericsson and Nokia as suppliers for the rollout. Telecoms.com reported that those supplier deals were worth around £2 billion.

VodafoneThree said its 5G Standalone rollout will move from a current baseline of 47% coverage to 90% population coverage by the end of the third year.

Up to 50 million people will have access to VodafoneThree’s fastest 5G speeds within one year, according to the operator. Its network plan uses Multi Operator Core Network technology, which allows customer devices to connect automatically to the best available coverage across the Vodafone and Three networks.

VodafoneThree has also completed a Multi Operator Core Network upgrade with Ericsson. The operator said the work gives around 71% of the UK population access to its fastest 5G speeds through shared C-band spectrum.

VodafoneThree also said the upgrade removed 16,500km² of 4G not-spots. In November 2025, the company said it had upgraded 8,000 sites across the UK under the programme. It said the work allowed more than 21 million customers to connect to the best available coverage at no extra cost.

VodafoneThree said it has the UK’s largest full-fibre and fibre-like broadband footprint, covering 22.5 million premises with speeds of up to 2.2Gbps. The figure includes Vodafone’s 20 million full-fibre premises, alongside Three’s 2.5 million mobile broadband customer base.

Ofcom’s Spring 2026 Connected Nations update said full fibre was available to 24.9 million residential premises, or 82% of UK homes, as of January 2026. Full-fibre take-up across residential and commercial premises reached 12.4 million, equal to 47% of premises with access.

VodafoneThree was created through the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK, which completed on May 31, 2025. The company combined Vodafone’s UK mobile and fixed operations with Three UK’s mobile business.

Vodafone has also moved to take full ownership of VodafoneThree. Reuters reported in May 2026 that Vodafone had agreed to buy CK Hutchison’s 49% stake in the joint venture for £4.3 billion.

CityFibre CEO Simon Holden said the company had grown with support from Vodafone and Three and would remain part of VodafoneThree’s network plans.

VodafoneThree CEO Max Taylor said the partnership supports the operator’s 5G Standalone rollout and broadband growth plans. He added that the agreement would help bring VodafoneThree’s broadband services to customers in more locations.

(Photo by Josh Withers)

See also: AI traffic pressures 5G networks as subscriptions pass 3 billion

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