VodafoneThree UK Deploys Ericsson's Next-Generation 5G Base Station Equipment in London

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 4, UK telecom operator VodafoneThree and Swedish communications equipment manufacturer Ericsson announced progress in the deployment of next-generation 5G radio access network equipment. VodafoneThree has deployed Ericsson's AIR 3266 Massive MIMO radio equipment in its commercial network in London, with the first site going into operation in October 2026. The deployment is part of the two companies' 5G network modernization partnership worth SEK 12.5 billion in total, covering more than 10,000 radio access sites across the UK and a nationwide core network upgrade.

The AIR 3266 uses 5G mid-band time-division duplex technology, supports up to 400 MHz bandwidth, and weighs 16 kg. According to product performance data published by Ericsson, the equipment can save at least 30% in energy consumption compared with existing deployment solutions, and reduce the equipment's embodied carbon emissions by up to 50%. The new equipment features a slim and lightweight design to reduce the installation load on base stations.

The AIR 3266 is equipped with Ericsson's next-generation chip and a dedicated neural network accelerator, increasing AI inference capability to 10 times that of previous solutions. The related computing power can support AI models in adjusting radio network parameters in real time and works in coordination with VodafoneThree's existing AI-ready radio access network computing infrastructure.

Ericsson also announced preliminary test results for its AI-native link adaptation scheduling technology. Under network congestion conditions, the technology increased downlink throughput by up to 20%. VodafoneThree plans to conduct further tests before the end of the current fiscal year and, based on the validation results, decide whether to deploy it nationwide across the UK in 2027.