 | |
| Formerly | |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 7 January 1980; 45 years ago (1980-01-07)[1] |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | Newbury, England |
Number of locations | 387 stores |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Max Taylor (CEO)[2] |
| Brands | |
| Services | |
| Parent | VodafoneThree |
| Website | vodafone |
Vodafone Limited,[1] trading asVodafone UK, is a Britishtelecommunications company, owned since May 2025 byVodafoneThree, a joint venture betweenVodafone Group andCK Hutchison Holdings.[3][4] The country's first cellular phone call was made on the Vodafone network in 1985,[5] and the world's firstSMS text message in 1992.[6]
Vodafone is thethird-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 18.3 million subscribers as of February 2025,[7] afterO2 andEE, and followed by sister company Three.[8]
In June 2023, it was announced that subject to regulatory approval, Vodafone UK and Three UK would merge to create Britain's biggest mobile network.[9] The merger was approved by theCompetition and Markets Authority in December 2024, and completed in May 2025, with the company becoming part of VodafoneThree.[10] Within six months of the merger, customers were expected to receive access to a shared Vodafone-Three network.[11]
In 1981,Racal Electronics Group won its bid for the private sector UK Cellular licence, and created Racal Telecomms Division. The same year, Racal formed a joint venture withMillicom named 'Racal Vodafone'. The Vodafone name was first unveiled on 22 March 1984.[12] Vodafone made the first cellular telephone call in the United Kingdom on 1 January 1985, fromSt Katharine Docks toNewbury, and launched the UK's first cellular network later that year.[13] 'Vodapage' was launched two years later, providing 80% of the United Kingdom's population with apaging service, and a service called 'Vodata' was also launched for voice and data.[12]
Racal Telecom was demerged from Racal Electronics in 1991, becomingVodafone Group, and introduced the country's firstGSM mobile phone network the same year. The company launched digital data, fax and atext messaging service with Vodata in 1994.[12] Vodafone also began working withGlobalstar to develop and launch a satellite to provide aSatellite phone service.
On 5 January 1999, Vodafone UK connected its 5 millionth customer. By the end of 1999 it had 8 million customers,[14] rising to 12 million in 2001.[15]
The first3G voice call in the UK was made in April 2001 on the Vodafone UK network, with an initial network of 30 base stations in theThames Valley set for the commercial launch in 2002.[16] That same month Vodafone launchedGPRS services.[16] Around the same time, Vodafone's analogueTACS network was closed after 16 years of service.[17] In 2003, Vodafone introduced the 'Speaking Phone', a phone forblind and visually impaired users.[18] Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G was launched in 2005, a data card that uses the network's 3G capabilities to connect laptop users to the internet.
Vodafone UK won Mobile Retailer's 'National Retailer of the Year' in 2005 and was awarded 'Best Network' in the 2010 Mobile News and Mobile Awards.[19]
In May 2011, Vodafone andJustgiving launched 'JustTextGiving', which allows mobile phone user to donate between £1 and £10 to aregistered charity using aSMS message, which is paid for by the donor throughreverse SMS billing. Vodafone invested £5 million to ensure that charities do not incur any set-up costs, or commissions deducted from donations, ensuring that they receive 100% of donations andGift Aid.[20][21]
Vodafone andO2 signed a deal in June 2012 which will see the two companies 'pool' their network technology, creating a single national grid of 18,500transmitter sites. Both networks will continue to carry their own independent mobile spectrum.[22][23][24]
On 20 February 2013, Ofcom announced that Vodafone had been awarded spectrum in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands for4GLTE coverage, bidding around £790 million for the spectrum.[25] The service became available to customers in London on 29 August, and will expand to a further twelve cities by the end of 2013.[26]
On 29 March 2018, following the release ofiOS 11.3, Vodafone launchedVoLTE (4G Calling) foriPhone users, with devices from theiPhone 6S to theiPhone X being compatible. The feature had been active on someAndroid phones fromHuawei,Samsung Mobile andSony Mobile prior to its launch onApple Inc. devices.
On 3 July 2019, Vodafone launched their5G network inBirmingham,Bristol,Cardiff,Glasgow,Manchester,Liverpool andLondon, with more towns and cities launching throughout 2019.[27]
In February 2024, Vodafone shut down their 3G network.
On 1 April 2012, Vodafone agreed to a takeover ofCable & Wireless Worldwide at a cost of just over £1 billion.[28] The acquisition gave Vodafone access to its ownfixed line network, in addition to the already established mobile network, allowing the company to begin work on launching a variety of fixed line services to Enterprise customers in addition to the ex-CWW customers which it acquired during the initial takeover.
Following the acquisition of CWW, Vodafone began working on a consumer Broadband and TV proposition, using its fibre network. Vodafone launched its broadband offering to the UK public on 12 October 2015.[29] Work is ongoing for the launch of Vodafone's UK TV service, which the company originally planned to launch before the spring of 2016.[30] However, this has since been delayed to a later date.
| Frequency | Protocol | Band | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE | 2G | |
| 1,800 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE/LTE/LTE-Advanced[31][32] | 3 | 2G/4G/4G+ |
| 900 MHz | LTE/LTE Advanced | 8 | 4G/4G+ |
| 2,100 MHz | LTE/LTE Advanced | 1 | 4G/4G+ |
| 800 MHz | LTE/LTE Advanced | 20 | 4G/4G+ |
| 900 MHz | LTE/LTE Advanced | 8 | 4G/4G+ |
| 1,500 MHz (SDL) | LTE Advanced[33] | 32 | 4G+ |
| 2,600 MHz (FDD) | LTE/LTE Advanced | 7 | 4G/4G+ |
| 2,600 MHz (TDD) | TD-LTE | 38 | 4G/4G+ |
| 3,500 MHz (TDD) | 5G NR[34] | n78 | 5G |
| 900 MHz (TDD) | 5G NR | 8 | 5G |
| 2,100 MHz (TDD) | 5G NR | 1 | 5G |
Vodafone LTE 1,800 MHz is only available in some areas, having been refarmed from 2G (1,800 MHz), whereas the LTE 2,100 MHz is available in a rapidly increasing number of areas and is very potent in areas such as Cardiff, London, Manchester and Birmingham.[35]
Vodafone operates a retail estate consisting of both company-owned and franchised (known as Partner Agent) stores. As of 2025[update], there are over 400 stores in the UK.[36]
A 'Tech Team' section (similar to Apple'sGenius Bar) was rolled out in November 2011 to Vodafone 'Elite' status stores in cities and large towns, offering free advice to all customers of the mobile network. Vodafone also introduced the 'RED Box' to its stores at the same time, which allows phone users to transfer contents between handsets.[37]
Beginning in 2010, Vodafone UK operated a 'VIP' reward scheme as part of a partnership withLive Nation, in which customers could access tickets 48 hours before release for major UK events includingT in the Park,Isle of Wight Festival,Reading & Leeds festival,London Fashion Week and theBritish Grand Prix.[38] Some of the music festivals involved in the scheme had their own 'Vodafone VIP' areas, available to customers by winning certain competitions. In May 2013, the Vodafone VIP Mobile Application developed byInvitation Digital was launched on both iPhone and Android platforms.In January 2014, Vodafone announced the closure of Vodafone VIP with immediate effect.
Vodafone UK launched a loyalty scheme named 'Freebee Rewardz' in late 2011, accompanied by a £3million marketing campaign featuring twoCGIbees named Jack and Mike voiced by Dan Antopolski andKarl Theobald.[39] Each time apay-as-you-go customer top-up £15 (such as a discount on a film fromBlockbuster, or free credit toward their balance) to collect 'Pointz' that can be added to their bigger prize.[40] In May 2015 Rewardz were renamed Rewards to reflect marketing changes.[41]
In 2017, Vodafone UK launched two new features. One was called 30-day network satisfaction. If new or upgrading customers were not happy with the Vodafone service and coverage within the first 30 days of having the contract, they can cancel and leave the network.[42] The other new feature was Flexi-Upgrades, which allows Vodafone customers, after six months of a current contract, to upgrade to a new device and contract after paying a certain amount off of their contract/device plan.[43]
In June 2018, the 30-day Network Satisfaction was renamed and readvertised as the 30-day Service Guarantee. However, in July 2019 the 30-day return period was removed by Vodafone and was subsequently reduced to only 14 days.[44]
Vodafone used the slogan "How are you?" in the UK between 2003 and 2006, but briefly switched in 2007 to "Make the Most of Now".[45]
In October 2017, Vodafone unveiled a new global brand campaign. This saw the logo return to its former 2D appearance and the introduction of a new slogan "The future is exciting... Ready?"[46]
From November 2010, Vodafone used commercial radio's syndicated chart show to advertise its products and offers. The company sponsoredGlobal Radio's Big Top 40 Show, with their advertisements running on 125 radio stations, including London's Capital FM.[47][48]
For the first 12 months of their sponsorship, Vodafone pushed their 'Freebees' brand[47] and the show was namedThe Vodafone Freebees Big Top 40 Show before being changed to simplyThe Vodafone Big Top 40 in 2011.
On 10 July 2019, Vodafone launched their new ad campaign "Be Unlimited" to accompany the launch of their new unlimited data plans which include 4G and 5G network coverage.[49]
Vodafone has been the official connectivity partner and sponsor forGlastonbury festival since March 2023, signing a multi-year agreement with the festival to provide mobile coverage and free charging at the festival.[50]
Vodafone has been the official connectivity partner of theBritish Summer Time festival since April 2022, signing a multi-year deal to provide mobile coverage for the festival.[51]
Vodafone has been the official connectivity partner of theBoardmasters festival since November 2023, signing a multi-year deal to provide mobile coverage for the festival.[52]
Vodafone has been the official connectivity partner of the Mighty Hoopla &Kendal Calling festivals since April 2022, signing a multi-year deal to provide mobile coverage for the festivals.[53]
Vodafone has been the network partner and sponsor ofWimbledon Championships since January 2022, signing a five-year deal to provide mobile coverage across all tennis courts.[54]
Vodafone has been the shirt sponsor ofWales women's team since September 2022. This was extended to the men's national team in June 2023 on a multi-year deal.[55]
Vodafone was the shirt sponsor for the 2021 rugby tour of theBritish & Irish Lions in South Africa.[56]
Vodafone was the shirt sponsor for English premiership mens and women's rugby & netball teamsWasps from 2019 until 2023, before the club went into administration.[57]
Vodafone has been the back shirt sponsor ofScotlands mens and women's team since August 2024.[58]
Vodafone UK came under criticism in June 2011 after they scrapped their fair-use policy on data charges, meaning those without monthly allowances would pay 50p for every 10MB of data used.[59]
A break-in at the Vodafone exchange centre inBasingstoke on 28 February 2011 left several hundreds of thousands of customers in the west of London without network access, after burglars stole computer equipment and damaged network hardware.[60]
Vodafone was criticised after theManchester Arena bombing in May 2017. The company outsourced the National Mutual Aid Telephony system to a third party,Content Guru. When the attack occurred, the system failed resulting in those affected by the attack not being able to contact police or emergency services.[61]
On 9 September 2017, Vodafone launched their VOXI SIM-only plans which offered users under 25 unlimited minutes, texts and endless data to social media websites and apps.[62] In 2018 the upper age limit was raised to 30. In November 2018, Voxi started selling contracted and SIM-free phones. In April 2019 the upper age limit was removed by Vodafone, meaning that VOXI is available to all users regardless of their age.[63]
VOXI users gained access to Vodafone's 5G services in October 2019,[64] although access was limited to users on the unlimited plan only. Users of lower-priced plans gained access to the new technology in September 2020,[65] along with unlimited video streaming.
