Vodafone Coverage & Network: 5G, 4G & 3G Coverage Maps And Signal Checker

Vodafone offers 5G coverage in 100+ towns and cities, along with 99% population coverage on 4G and 2G.

In the UK, Vodafone offers four types of mobile network coverage: 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G. Their newest and fastest 5G coverage is available in more than 100 locations, offering average download speeds of 150-200Mbit/s. Elsewhere in the country, Vodafone offers 99% population coverage on 4G with average download speeds of 23-35Mbit/s.

In this article, find out how to check the Vodafone coverage in your area and how to see a Vodafone coverage map for 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G. We’ll discuss the differences between the four types of coverage, what you’re able to do with them and the download speeds available. Finally, we’ll look at the international coverage on Vodafone and how you can use it when travelling abroad.

Vodafone Coverage Map

You can use Vodafone’s online coverage checker to see a map of the different types of coverage available from Vodafone in your area.

Enter your postcode on Vodafone’s online map for an indication of whether the four types of coverage (5G, 4G, and 2G) are available in your area. The results are colour-coded to break out different strengths of coverage (e.g. areas with both indoor & outdoor coverage, with outdoor coverage only or with very limited coverage).

Check Vodafone Coverage (vodafone.co.uk) →

You can also see a forecast of the download speeds and upload speeds that might be available in your area. This is available when you tap on the “Data speed info” button after entering your postcode.

For more information, read on to find out about the different types of coverage available on Vodafone.

Vodafone Coverage Overview

In the UK, Vodafone currently offers the four following types of mobile network coverage:

All Vodafone customers are now able to access 4G coverage. This offers a solid foundation of 99% population coverage and download speeds of around 23-35Mbit/s (this is plan dependent as download speeds are capped on some Vodafone unlimited data plans).

To access 5G coverage on the Vodafone network, you’ll need a 5G-ready handset and a price plan that supports 5G. At present, 5G is available on Vodafone Red price plans with at least 5GB of data per month and all Vodafone Unlimited plans (albeit, with speed limits on the Unlimited Lite and Unlimited tariffs).

In the UK, Vodafone also provides the coverage for VOXI, Talkmobile and Lebara Mobile.

Vodafone 5G Coverage

The newest form of coverage available on Vodafone is their 5G network, which started rolling out in July 2019. Today, Vodafone’s 5G network covers more than 100 locations (mostly large urban areas with a handful of smaller towns and airports).

On Vodafone’s 5G network, peak download speeds can exceed 1Gbit/s (1,000Mbit/s). In practice, however, Vodafone claims an average download speed of 150-200Mbit/s on 5G (around five to ten times faster than their 4G network). Other benefits of the 5G network include greater network capacity and reduced amounts of latency.

Check Vodafone 5G Coverage →

Behind the scenes, Vodafone is making use of newly acquired 3.5GHz spectrum to enable the faster speeds of their 5G service. Their 5G network also uses “Massive MIMO” technology to further improve download speeds, to increase network capacity and to reduce interference. Latency is reduced on the network by making use of faster radio processing and multi-access edge computing technology. See Vodafone’s guide to 5G for business for more in-depth information about the benefits of 5G.

At present, 5G coverage is available on all Vodafone unlimited price plans and on Vodafone Red price plans with at least 5GB of data per month. Download speeds are capped on the Unlimited Lite and Unlimited plans (2Mbit/s and 10Mbit/s respectively) but you can still benefit from the increased network capacity and reduced latency of Vodafone’s 5G network. The Unlimited Max price plan gives you unlimited data with uncapped download speeds on Vodafone’s 5G network. Unfortunately, 5G coverage isn’t currently available on other types of plans like Vodafone Basics.

Other Coverage Types

Alongside their new 5G network, Vodafone continues to offer nationwide 2G, 3G and 4G coverage. They also have a 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling service which is available to use on selected price plans and handsets.

2G Coverage

Vodafone’s oldest type of coverage comes from their 2G mobile network, which has been in operation since 1993. Nowadays, the 2G network is rarely used by consumers. However, it’s still available as a backup for when newer types of coverage are not available.

2G coverage is primarily suited for making phone calls and for sending SMS text messages. It’s also possible to do a bit of basic web browsing at EDGE speeds (up to 0.3Mbit/s) on Vodafone’s 2G network.

Check 2G Coverage on Vodafone →

Vodafone offers 99% population coverage on their 2G network using spectrum at 900MHz. In the past, they’ve also offered some limited 2G coverage at 1800MHz. However, this has now been switched off as the 1800MHz signal has been upgraded to provide extra 4G coverage.

3G Coverage

Vodafone’s 3G network closed in February 2024. This means it is no longer possible to get 3G coverage on Vodafone.

4G Coverage

Vodafone’s 4G network launched in 2013, offering high-speed mobile data that can rival fibre broadband speeds. Today, Vodafone’s 4G network supports Category 9 LTE download speeds of up to 450Mbit/s. This is sometimes branded as 4G+ technology.

In practice, actual download speeds on 4G are normally closer to 23-35Mbit/s. However, this can vary substantially depending on your area so it’s worth checking this through Vodafone’s online coverage map:

Check 4G Coverage on Vodafone →

In the UK, Vodafone’s 4G service primarily uses coverage in band 20 (800MHz) and band 7 (2600MHz) spectrum.

In addition, further 4G coverage is available in some areas using five additional 4G bands: band 1 (2100MHz), band 3 (1800MHz), band 8 (900MHz), band 32 (1500MHz) and band 38 (2600MHz). Additional 4G coverage can mainly be found in urban and suburban areas where Vodafone has added extra 4G spectrum to increase the capacity of their network.

4G Calling & Wi-Fi Calling

Vodafone offers 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling to customers with a compatible handset on selected Pay Monthly plans (including Vodafone Red and Vodafone Unlimited plans).

Having access to these two features can make it more seamless to make and receive phone calls on Vodafone. For instance, 4G Calling can give you better indoor coverage and faster download speeds whilst you’re on a phone call. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi Calling allows you to make and receive phone calls even where a mobile signal isn’t available (e.g. whilst you’re travelling on the Underground).

At the time of writing, you can use Wi-Fi Calling on the following handsets:

• Alcatel – Alcatel 1
• Google – Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, 3a, 4, 4XL
• Huawei – P8 Lite 2017, P10, P10 Plus, Smart Mate 10 Pro, P Smart, P20, P20 Pro, P10 Lite, P20 Lite, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 Lite, P Smart 2019, P30, P30 Pro Dual SIM (512GB), P30 Pro, P30 Lite, P30 Lite +, Y6s, Y6 2019, Mate20 x 5G; P Smart Z, Nove 5T
• iPhone – 11, 11Pro, 11Pro Max, XS, XS Max, XR, X, 8, 8 Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, SE
• Lenovo – Moto G8 power
• Mobiwire – Hotah, Oneida non-camera
• Nokia – Nokia 2.3
• Samsung – A3 (2016 and 2017), A5 (2016 and 2017), A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A20e, A40, A50, A51, A70, A71, A80, A90 5G; J4+, J5 (2016 and 2017), J3 (2017), J6 (2018), S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, S10e, S10, S10+, S10 Lite, S10 5G; Note8, Note 9, Note 10, Note 10+, Note 10+ 5G, Note 10Lite; XCover4, XCover 4S
• Sony – XZ, XZ Premium, XZ1, XZ1 Compact, XA 2, XZ2, XZ3, Xperia 10, Xperia L3, Xperia 1, Xperia 5
• Vodafone – Smart Platinum 7, Smart Ultra 7, Smart N8, Smart V8, Smart N9, Smart N9 Lite, Smart E9, Smart X9, V10, N10
• Xiaomi -Mi9, Mix3 5G

If you’re using an Android-powered smartphone, it will normally need to have been purchased directly from Vodafone to work on their Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling service. It might not work on devices purchased elsewhere e.g. from the Carphone Warehouse. This restriction doesn’t apply if you’re using an iPhone, which will work regardless of which retailer you buy it from.

For more information, see Vodafone’s help pages on 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling.

International Coverage

If you’re travelling abroad to another country, you can use Vodafone through their Global Roaming service (excluding Vodafone Basics which is a UK-only plan).

You can get 4G roaming in 137 destinations on Vodafone (significantly more than any other UK network). You’ll also get “full speed roaming on 4G” without any throttling or restrictions on download speeds (except from on the Unlimited Lite and Unlimited plans which are also speed-capped in the UK).

If you have a 5G-ready price plan, it’s also possible to roam on 5G in nearly 200 towns and cities across Europe. This includes major towns and cities in Spain, Italy, Germany and the Republic of Ireland (including Milan, Rome, Naples, Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich).

With Global Roaming, most Vodafone customers can use their handset abroad at no extra charge in 51 Roam-free European destinations. In 104 Roam-further destinations, it will cost £6/day to use your normal UK price plan.

If you have a Vodafone Unlimited Max plan, you’ll get Vodafone’s Global Roaming Plus service instead. This gives you inclusive roaming in 81 destinations (including most of Europe, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and more).

The following table summarises the cost of international roaming on Vodafone:

For more information, please see Vodafone’s website or read our full review of the Global Roaming service.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Information

For more information about the coverage on Vodafone, please see Vodafone’s official website. We’d always recommend using Vodafone’s online coverage map to check the coverage in your area before signing up to Vodafone.