Vodafone to adopt Open RAN technology in 30% of European networks by 2030

Beijing time, March 3 (Ace) Vodafone Group Chief Technology Officer Johan Wibergh said in his speech at MWC 2022 that by 2030, Vodafone will use Open RAN technology in 30% of the base stations in its European network.

He said about 30,000 sites in Europe will eventually use Open RAN, with rural areas benefiting first from new 4G and 5G base stations using more flexible radio technology. When the project is rolled out to urban areas, equipment at any existing 5G base stations will be replaced and then reused elsewhere to reduce unnecessary waste.

Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone Group, said in his keynote speech at MWC, "Local scale is needed to close the investment gap and ensure we can deploy 5G quickly. Regional scale is needed to close the digital gap." Europe's current 5G coverage is low, with only 10% of the population covered, while China and the United States have 5G networks covering 60% and 45% of the population respectively.

Vodafone has been one of the key drivers in the development and use of Open RAN technology, deploying one of the first live Open RAN sites in Wales, followed by Open RAN site construction in Cornwall and the UK’s first 5G Open RAN site.

Nick Read called Open RAN a "great example of sectoral collaboration." He highlighted the work Vodafone has done through collaboration with the Spanish government, such as opening a pan-European research and development center in Malaga and creating the European V-Hub to help small and medium-sized enterprises digitize their businesses.