Press Release | 24 May 2018

Vodafone pulls out all the stops for Reading Station and beyond

Photo of Reading train station

Vodafone UK has announced the installation of superfast 4G at Reading train station to ensure that Vodafone customers enjoy fast data speeds & reliable voice coverage.

Photo of Reading train station
Reading train station

Vodafone UK has announced the installation of superfast 4G at Reading train station, which welcomes about 20 million passengers a year, to ensure that Vodafone customers enjoy fast data speeds & reliable voice coverage. As a result of this upgrade, Reading station – the second busiest rail hub outside London – recently saw data speeds of up to 171Mbps (megabits per second).

The improvements are designed to meet the growing demand for high-speed data and reliable mobile access for staff, commuters and businesses. The upgrade forms part of an extended network improvement programme taking place across the town and surrounding area, which has made it one of the leading areas in the country for both network performance, data speeds and coverage.

Vodafone’s 4G is now available to 99% of the town’s population* while customers in nearby Tilehurst, Lower Earley, Sonning and Spencers Wood are also benefiting from the improved services, experiencing less dropped calls and faster call connection times. Meanwhile, Vodafone UK has brought faster 4G data and stronger voice coverage to Green Park to ensure Vodafone customers visiting or working at the business hub have faster and reliable mobile connectivity.

As a result, Vodafone customers in Reading are already using their mobile devices more than ever before to access the Internet, check social media, email and stream videos. The amount of 4G data traffic carried across Vodafone’s network in the area has increased by almost 61% compared to this time last year.

At the heart of Vodafone’s advanced 4G network in the town centre is a technology called carrier aggregation, which combines different bands of spectrum – those radio frequencies used to transmit mobile signals – to increase capacity and boost data speeds. In Reading, 75% of the town** can now enjoy either two-way or three-way carrier aggregation, meaning access to faster streaming of data such as HD videos. 4G Calling has also been introduced to the town*** enabling customers to make calls over their 4G data signal.

Ongoing investment across Vodafone’s UK network also lays the foundations for 5G – the next generation mobile network expected to arrive over the next couple of years to coincide with compatible smartphones and devices.

Vodafone UK’s CTO Scott Petty added: “Reading is a key commercial centre and our customers deserve world-class mobile connectivity to match the town’s growing economic importance and predicted population growth. We are committed to delivering the best possible connectivity across Reading, throughout Berkshire, as well as the wider country.”

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About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 693 693

Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Twitter: @VodafoneUKNews

Website: https://vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/

Vodafone Limited

Registered Office: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN

Registered in England No: 1471587