Inside Vodafone Germany’s 2026 network expansion plan

Vodafone Germany plans a large network build-out in 2026, with around 10,600 individual projects scheduled across the country. The work includes building new towers, upgrading existing sites to 5G, and expanding capacity in both cities and rural areas. The operator aims to push coverage and performance rather than headline-grabbing speed claims.

As part of this push, Vodafone is adding Samsung as a third Open RAN (O-RAN) technology partner, alongside its current suppliers. The Baltic port city of Wismar is set to become Germany’s first O-RAN city under this arrangement, serving as a test bed for the more flexible, software-driven network model Vodafone wants to scale more widely over time.