Vodafone's 5g laggard status exposed amid spain's connectivity boom
Spain's telecommunications landscape has witnessed a dramatic shift in recent years, with major operators Orange and Movistar leading the charge in deploying 5G+ (5G SA) networks nationwide. Meanwhile, Vodafone, once touted as a pioneer in the 5G space, remains lagging behind, leaving customers perplexed about the absence of this high-speed connectivity.
Vodafone's 5g sa rollout: a tale of missed deadlines and unmet expectations
Back in 2025, Vodafone announced a partnership with Ericsson to develop its own core 5G network for individual customers in Spain. The ambitious plan aimed to cover 90% of the population and reach over 3,700 municipalities by the end of last year. However, the reality has been far from these lofty promises.
Despite deploying 5G antennas across various frequency bands, including 700 MHz (N28) and 3500 MHz (N78), Vodafone's 5G+ SA network remains inaccessible to the public. The key issue lies in the operator's reliance on a proprietary core, a requirement not met in its current public-facing infrastructure.
As a result, if you visit Vodafone's website, you'll only find their 5G plans capped at a maximum speed of 1 Gbps, a far cry from the lightning-fast speeds promised by Orange and Movistar's 5G+ SA networks.
the numbers paint a grim picture for vodafone's 5g performance
A recent study by nPerf, which analyzed the mobile connectivity of five major Spanish operators - Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, MasMovil/Yoigo, and Digi - puts Vodafone at the bottom of the heap. According to the report, Vodafone's 5G network scored a dismal 81,780 points, trailing far behind its competitors:
• Movistar: 95,145 points
• Digi: 94,910 points
• Orange: 91,868 points
• MasMovil/Yoigo: 86,512 points
• Vodafone: 81,780 points
The report also breaks down the user experience in various aspects, including download and upload speeds, latency, web browsing, and streaming. Unfortunately, Vodafone's 5G does not factor into any of these categories, indicating a subpar experience for its customers compared to its rivals.