Vodafone - Spain
Vodafone (Spain) uses 2 GSM bands, 2 UMTS bands, 7 LTE bands, and 4 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Vodafone (Spain). See the tables below for details.
Check device compatibilityCarrier website: http://www.vodafone.es/
Last updated: 2024/08/04 - See latest updates
Vodafone Spain has been actively expanding its mobile network, particularly focusing on rural areas and enhancing its 5G coverage. Here are some key points about Vodafone Spain's mobile network:
5G Expansion:
- Vodafone has announced plans to expand its 5G network in Spain to 1,000 additional villages, towns, and cities, with 238 of those having populations of less than 1,000 people, primarily in rural areas.
- The expansion will utilize the 700 MHz frequency band, which offers wider coverage areas, ideal for rural regions.
Network Sharing Agreement:
- Vodafone has signed a new network sharing agreement with Orange in Spain, which includes the sharing of 5G networks. This agreement extends the scope of the partnership to cover cities with populations up to 175,000 people, compared to the previous limit of towns with populations up to 25,000 people.
- The agreement aims to enhance the deployment of 5G across a wider geographic area, benefiting more customers and reducing environmental impact.
Coverage and Performance:
- Vodafone's 5G coverage in Spain is expected to reach 65% of the population across 2,000 municipalities by the end of 2023.
- The network expansion is designed to bridge the digital divide and provide connectivity to rural areas, which often struggle with inadequate broadband or mobile network coverage.
Customer Services:
- Vodafone offers various prepaid SIM card options with data and minutes tailored to customer needs, including free SIM cards for pay-as-you-go plans.
- The company is committed to delivering the best gigabit networks and aims to provide a better service to customers through efficient and environmentally friendly network deployment.
Coverage Maps and Data:
- Detailed coverage maps for Vodafone's 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks are available through tools like nPerf.com, which crowdsources data from app users to reflect real-world network performance.
Overall, Vodafone Spain is actively working to improve its mobile network coverage, particularly in rural areas, through strategic expansions and partnerships.
Frequency Bands
GSM
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz (E-GSM) | GSM | Vodafone Spain uses the 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band for GSM services. This band operates on the downlink frequency range of 880.0 – 915.0 MHz and the uplink frequency range of 925.0 – 960.0 MHz. |
| 1800 MHz (DCS) | GSM | Vodafone Spain uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band. This band is utilized for GSM technology and is also partially deployed for LTE services. The deployment of this frequency band supports various applications, including mobile voice and data services, and it is widely used in most parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. |
UMTS
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | UMTS | Vodafone Spain uses the UMTS B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band was deployed in 2012. |
| B8 (900 MHz GSM) | UMTS | Vodafone Spain uses the UMTS band B8 (900 MHz GSM). This band is deployed for both UMTS and LTE operations. |
LTE
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B3 (1800 MHz +) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses the LTE B3 (1800 MHz +) frequency band. This band was deployed in 2012. |
| B7 (2600 MHz) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses the LTE frequency band B7 (2600 MHz). The deployment of this band is not specified in the provided information. |
| B1 (2100 MHz) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses the LTE B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band was deployed on August 4, 2024. |
| B8 (900 MHz) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses LTE band B8 (900 MHz). This frequency band was added to Vodafone Spain in August 2024. |
| B20 (800 MHz DD) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) for its LTE network deployments. This frequency band is known for its wide area coverage and deep penetration, making it suitable for regional and rural environments, as well as in-building coverage. It is also popular for IoT applications like eMTC (LTE Cat M1) and NB-IoT (LTE Cat NB1) due to its wide coverage characteristics. The 800 MHz band does not easily support Massive MIMO and beamforming technologies due to its large wavelength. It can be used as a single band or as part of a multi-band network, and it supports carrier aggregation with other bands to enhance bandwidth and performance. |
| B28 (700 MHz APT) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses the LTE B28 (700 MHz APT) frequency band for its 4G LTE network. This band operates between 703 MHz and 803 MHz, supporting full-duplex frequency division duplex (FDD) mode. The uplink frequency range is 703–748 MHz, and the downlink frequency range is 758–803 MHz. The band supports channel bandwidths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. It is widely used for LTE network deployments due to its excellent propagation characteristics, which allow signals to penetrate buildings and cover larger geographic areas with less infrastructure. |
| B38 (TD 2600 MHz) | LTE | Vodafone Spain uses the LTE frequency band B38, which operates at 2600 MHz in the Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode. This frequency band was added to Vodafone Spain's network on August 4, 2024. |
5G NR
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N1 (2100 MHz) | 5G NR | Vodafone Spain uses the 5G NR N1 frequency band, which covers the 2100 MHz range. This band is utilized for 5G services, enabling high-speed data transmission and low latency. The deployment of this frequency band is part of Vodafone Spain's efforts to expand its 5G network coverage, enhancing applications such as connected vehicles, industrial automation, and virtual and augmented reality. |
| N3 (1800 MHz) | 5G NR | Vodafone Spain uses the 5G NR N3 frequency band, which covers the 1710 to 1880 MHz range. This band is commonly referred to as the 1.8 GHz 5G band. The n3 band is known for its excellent range and building penetration due to its propagation characteristics. It is also popular because it is already widely used by 3G and 4G networks, allowing operators to "re-farm" existing frequencies for 5G deployment. The n3 band supports large channel bandwidths, enabling high capacity throughput, which is a key performance objective of the 5G NR standard. |
| N28 (700 MHz) | 5G NR | Vodafone Spain uses the 5G NR N28 (700 MHz) frequency band for its 5G services. This band covers the range of 703 to 803 MHz and supports frequencies such as 703 to 748 MHz for the uplink and 758 to 803 MHz for the downlink. The deployment of this band was announced in January 2022, with Vodafone starting to provide 5G coverage via the 700 MHz frequency in 109 municipalities across 30 provinces progressively. |
| N78 (3500 MHz) | 5G NR | Vodafone Spain uses the 5G NR frequency band N78, which operates at 3500 MHz. This band is used to deploy 5G services, enabling Gigabit speeds and lower latency to enhance applications such as connected vehicles, robotics, industrial automated systems, and virtual and augmented reality. |
Latest updates
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B1 (2100 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B8 (900 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B28 (700 MHz APT) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B38 (TD 2600 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N1 (2100 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N3 (1800 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N28 (700 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N78 (3500 MHz) added to Vodafone Spain.
