Vodafone launches Express Capacity to quickly meet demand for data centre connectivity

Vodafone Business has launched Express Capacity, a quick delivery service providing organisations expanding their cloud and AI capabilities, including new data centres, with scalable, ultra-fast transport links in days rather than weeks or months.

Express Capacity speeds up the provision of either 100G or 400G transport links across selected strategic European routes to large enterprises, Neocloud providers, hyperscalers and telecommunications providers. Vodafone aims to deliver these optical fibre connections within 15 days, subject to standard provisioning and testing.

Typically, a 400G connection can transfer up to 180 terabytes of data per hour with minimal latency, supporting the vast flow of information between modern AI and cloud data centres, as well as key infrastructure, factories and offices. Vodafone Business developed Express Capacity to meet increasingly dynamic connectivity demand as organisations enter new markets, interconnect data centres, support sovereign cloud environments and prepare for growing AI workloads. Long capacity lead times can delay business opportunities. 

Leveraging Vodafone’s extensive European backbone network, Express Capacity will initially provide high-capacity connectivity across pre-lit routes linking key digital infrastructure hubs in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Marseille and Milan. These strategically pre-provisioned routes operate between major carrier-neutral data centres along some of Europe’s most widely used and important connectivity corridors.

Vodafone will continue to expand the reach of Express Capacity throughout this year and into next, supporting the growth of Europe’s data centre ecosystem beyond traditional hubs and into regions offering renewable energy and strong international connectivity. This expansion also aligns with the European Commission’s focus on increasing computing capacity to strengthen Europe’s technological independence and digital sovereignty.

The service footprint also links key cable landing stations and Vodafone’s core network, strengthening access to international subsea cable systems. These include the transatlantic Apollo cable linking the UK and the US, Amitié (linking UK, France and the US), Europe India Gateway (connecting 12 countries across 3 continents) and SEA-ME-WE 5 (Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe), as well as further enhancing network reach and resilience.

Oscar Monteagudo, Carrier Sales and Subsea Business Director, Vodafone Business, said: “The challenge is no longer only capacity, but capacity in the right place, available at the right time. Our customers are operating in an environment where infrastructure decisions need to happen faster.

“Express Capacity has been designed to remove barriers to growth by providing rapid access to scalable, high-capacity connectivity, backed by Vodafone’s extensive European network footprint and carrier expertise.”

Express Capacity will streamline service delivery through ongoing automation across service build, testing and configuration. This recognises that customers need straightforward engagement models, operational visibility and efficient service management. It also marks an important step in Vodafone's broader network automation strategy and aligns with the industry's evolution towards more on-demand connectivity models, including cloud-based Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).