Vodafone Business has launched Express Capacity, a service that aims to deliver high-capacity 100G or 400G optical transport links within 15 days on selected European routes, including routes from London. This is a wholesale and enterprise product for data centres, cloud providers and telecoms operators, not a consumer offer. It does not change Vodafone UK mobile or SIM-only tariffs, but it shows the operator putting more of its backbone network behind demand for AI and cloud infrastructure.
Vodafone announced the service in its newsroom on 14 October 2026, and ISPreview reported it on 15 October 2026.
What Vodafone announced
According to Vodafone’s announcement, Express Capacity is aimed at organisations expanding cloud and AI capacity, including those building new data centres. Key points:
- Speeds: 100G or 400G optical transport links. Vodafone says a 400G link can carry up to 180 terabytes of data per hour.
- Delivery target: connections within 15 days, subject to standard provisioning and testing.
- Target customers: large enterprises, neocloud providers, hyperscalers and telecommunications providers.
- Pricing: not disclosed.
Leased high-capacity links like these can take weeks or months to provision. Vodafone’s pitch is that the routes are already “pre-lit”, meaning optical equipment is in place, so capacity can be switched on more quickly.
Initial routes and subsea reach
At launch, Express Capacity runs on Vodafone’s European backbone. Its pre-lit routes link carrier-neutral data centre hubs in:
- London
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Frankfurt
- Marseille
- Milan
Vodafone says the footprint also reaches cable landing stations and its core network. That gives access to international subsea systems including Apollo (UK–US), Amitié (UK, France, US), Europe India Gateway and SEA-ME-WE 5.
The company plans to extend coverage through 2026 and into 2027. It specifically mentions regions with renewable energy and strong international connectivity. Vodafone ties this expansion to the European Commission’s goals on computing capacity and digital sovereignty.
Automation and on-demand networking
Vodafone says it will increasingly automate building, testing and configuring the service. It describes this as part of a wider network automation strategy and a shift towards on-demand models such as Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).
Oscar Monteagudo, Carrier Sales and Subsea Business Director at Vodafone Business, said: “The challenge is no longer only capacity, but capacity in the right place, available at the right time.”
ISPreview reported the same 15-day delivery target, the same six launch cities and the same subsea systems. It noted that the target turnaround is roughly comparable to installing a home full fibre (FTTP) broadband line.
What it means for UK mobile users
Express Capacity is a business-to-business product, so it won’t show up on Vodafone UK price lists, SIM-only deals or handset contracts. Its relevance to consumers is indirect. Operators that own and automate large backbone networks can earn wholesale revenue from that infrastructure, and the same long-distance fibre and subsea capacity also carries the international traffic behind mobile data and roaming.
If you are comparing UK SIM plans, nothing in this announcement changes current Vodafone tariffs, data allowances or roaming terms. For current consumer plans, see our UK SIM plan comparison.
Sources
- Vodafone newsroom, “Vodafone launches Express Capacity to quickly meet demand for data centre connectivity” (14 October 2026)
- ISPreview, “Vodafone launch Express Capacity to speed up provision of 100G or 400G links” (15 October 2026)