Vodafone 5G and 4G landed at Edinburgh Airport

Vodafone customers using and working at Edinburgh Airport are starting to enjoy stronger and faster 5G and 4G following the installation of dedicated mobile phone coverage.

The improvements, led by leading in-building solution supplier Exchange Communications, will ensure Vodafone customers, who make up approximately 14 million passengers who use the airport each year, benefit from both fast mobile data speeds and better call quality in departure, arrival and across the airport terminal.  

Meanwhile, businesses in and around the airport will be able to take advantage.  Whilst airport employees with Vodafone devices will benefit from the improvements, the introduction of ultrafast Vodafone 5G will also ensure the airport infrastructure has the technology needed to support a range of services – from contactless check-in to digital passport controls – if required.

Denis McIlroy, Head of IT at Edinburgh Airport said: “Whether it is tracking your flight, sending that important email, joining a virtual meeting or simply staying in touch with family and friends you are going or coming to visit, connectivity to reliable 4G and 5G is really important so it’s great to have enhanced that provision at Scotland’s busiest airport.

“Our work with Vodafone will also allow us to continue to make improvements for passengers behind the scenes and deliver a smooth and seamless journey through the airport.” 

Tom Sime, CEO of Exchange Communications, said: “Airports are a pivotal part of the UK economy and having deployed 4G & 5G at Edinburgh Airport it now benefits from the reliable wireless connectivity of 5G.

“This project will benefit from enhanced connectivity, resulting in faster connections and quicker streaming for passengers but it will also help enhance the technology working behind the scenes to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the airport.  

“Airports have an ecosystem of companies and business who interact with them, jointly delivering services which will benefit from the connectivity of 5G for fast reliable production, intralogistics with full flexibility for future Smart Building technologies and IOT.”

Andrea Dona, UK Network Director at Vodafone, said: “Airports play a vital role in the success of the economy as well as being major employers.  So, we’re delighted to be able to support Edinburgh in providing the connectivity they need to support their growth. 

“Meanwhile, the arrival of both Vodafone 4G and 5G will offer our customers fast mobile data speeds as they work at the airport or travel through.”  

The news is the latest in Vodafone’s ongoing investment in its Scottish network. This includes locations across the country where rural Vodafone coverage has been already boosted as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, a £1bn joint initiative between the UK Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators which will see overall 4G coverage extend to 91% of the Scottish landmass. 

In January 2022, Vodafone confirmed it would begin to switch off its UK 3G network in 2023, with the spectrum being used to boost its 4G and 5G coverage nationwide.