Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 22, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleVodafoneThree awards a $2.7 billion 5G equipment contract to Ericsson and Nokia, enhancing the UK telecom market with advanced 5G networks.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -VodafoneThree has awarded a 2-billion-pounds ($2.7 billion) deal to Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson and Finland's Nokia to supply 5G communications equipment into the next decade, the companies said on Monday.
Ericsson, the primary vendor, said in a statement its contract is worth 12.5 billion Swedish crowns ($1.3 billion).
In a separate release, Nokia did not disclose the financial details of its partnership but said the deal marks its return as Vodafone and Three's supplier in the UK.
Nokia will provide its radio access network (RAN) and core networks equipment to about 7,000 sites in the country.
In June, Vodafone and CK Hutchison completed the merger of their UK operations, creating a new business called VodafoneThree and laid out plans to invest 11 billion pounds ($14.8 billion) over 10 years to build one of Europe's most advanced 5G networks.
Ericsson will introduce new 5G radio products into the VodafoneThree network, comprising AI and energy-optimized hardware and smart antennas, aimed at providing customers in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast with significantly enhanced data speeds, the company said.
The European contract is a boost for the two Nordic rivals, which are both wrestling with a general market slowdown and the impact of tariffs on their profit in the United States.
($1 = 9.3869 Swedish crowns)
($1 = 0.7431 pounds)
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Gianluca Lo Nostro in Gdansk; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Matt Scuffham)
5G is the fifth generation of mobile network technology, offering faster speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices simultaneously compared to previous generations.
Telecommunications refers to the transmission of information over distances for communication, using technologies such as telephones, internet, and broadcasting.
A telecommunications equipment vendor is a company that manufactures and sells devices and systems used in telecommunications, such as routers, switches, and base stations.
A partnership in business is a formal arrangement where two or more parties agree to manage and operate a business together, sharing profits and responsibilities.
An investment is an asset or item acquired with the goal of generating income or appreciation in value over time.
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