Vodafone on private 5G – 173 networks, 20 countries, 60% on site, new vendors coming

Vodafone Business says it now runs 173 live private 5G networks across roughly 20 countries, with about 60% of those systems installed directly on customer sites. The company outlined the figures at the UPTIME event and flagged plans to expand its supplier list. Ericsson is seen as a likely addition, alongside Celona or another vendor positioned for enterprise use.

Vodafone also offered a blunt view of the market so far: private 5G has been held back by expensive, over-engineered industrial projects and executive wishlists that do not match budgets or operational needs. The company argued that growth depends on simpler, cheaper deployments that solve specific problems rather than showcasing "shiny" technology.