Vodafone Rewind: our highlights from 2025

2025 has been another landmark year for us here at Vodafone. From the seabed to the stars, we’ve been working hard to deliver on our goal of keeping everyone connected.

From world-firsts and technological breakthroughs to new services and major milestones, here are some of our highlights…

A historic direct-to-device satellite call

Back in January, Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile made history with the world’s first satellite video call made on a standard smartphone from an area with no mobile coverage. Lead Engineer Rowan Chesmer made the call from a remote part of Wales to our CEO Margherita Della Valle, using AST SpaceMobile’s Bluebird satellites and an ordinary commercial handset.

Margherita and astronaut Tim Peake explains exactly what happened in the below video. Watch out for more developments in Vodafone’s satellite services in 2026.

Celebrating 40 years of Vodafone

Soon after midnight on 1^st January 1985, the UK’s first mobile phone call was made over Vodafone’s network. The mobile revolution was kicked off on the iconic VT-1 handset, which weighed 5.5kg (approximately 30 times more than modern smartphones), and provided a then-impressive 30 minutes of talk time.

In 2025 we celebrated this monumental moment in telecoms history. 40 years on, we may have moved on from brick phones, but our commitment to seamless connectivity and innovation remains as strong as ever.

Vodafone Egypt’s 5G light show

In June, towers around Cairo were lit up by mysterious beams of red light, sending social media ablaze with speculation. A few days later, the lightshow was revealed to be a bold campaign by Vodafone Egypt to announce the arrival of 5G on its network.

The light show wasn’t where things ended, though. Vodafone backed up the spectacle with numbers to put the increase in perspective. 5G isn’t just fast, it’s 50 times the speed of Mo Salah, Egypt’s fastest footballer and one of the fastest in the world. It’s an achievement that all of our Egyptian customers will be able to benefit from, long after the lights have faded.

Launching a new era of connectivity for the UK with VodafoneThree

The dawn of a new era! Vodafone UK and Three completed their landmark merger this year, bringing two of the UK’s largest telecommunications providers together.

Since the completion of the deal at the end of May, VodafoneThree has already upgraded 8,000 sites across the UK as part of its £11 billion investment programme to create the UK’s best network, reaching 99% 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030, and 99.96% by 2034.

As a result, more than 21 million customers in the UK are benefitting from improved mobile connectivity and capacity by being able to connect to the best available coverage, at no extra cost.

Keeping customer connected everywhere with Travel eSIM

Everyone loves a holiday, but nobody likes to wrestle with complex data packages and a lack of connectivity while they’re off on their adventures. To support the everyday adventurers among our customers, we launched Vodafone Travel eSIM, supporting travel into over 200 destinations on 700 networks worldwide, all in one complete, simple package.

Exploring the power beneath the waves 

Subsea cables hit the headlines several times in 2025 due to their strategic importance in a volatile geopolitical climate. Throughout the year, Vodafone has continued our work on this invisible backbone of global connectivity. Notably, we were a major partner in November’s completion of 2Africa, the world’s longest cable system in the world at a mighty 45,000km. And we’re leading the charge on the new Kardesa cable, to be laid across the Black Sea and create a modern digital corridor between Europe and Asia.

To shine a light on the incredible work in this area, we also went to meet members of Vodafone’s subsea engineering team in our Making Connections documentary, which you can watch below.

200 million IoT devices 

Vodafone’s Internet of Things (IoT) network comprises millions of smart devices and machines that are changing how we live and work. From monitoring people’s health and protecting endangered animals, to thwarting vehicle thefts and detecting fires, floods and earthquakes.

This year, we celebrated a major milestone when a heart monitor became our 200 millionth Internet of Things (IoT) device. The network continues to go from strength to strength. We’ve been recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, Worldwide, for the 11th consecutive year, and as we head into 2026, the total number of IoT connections has surpassed 220 million.

Supporting Europe’s biggest events  

There’s nothing quite like a great summer, and year’s was jam-packed with festivals and celebrations full of unforgettable memories.

We worked hard to make sure people enjoying celebrations across Europe were able to stay connected while making those summer memories. From Glastonbury in the UK to Wacken OpenAir in Germany, we’ve spent our summer keeping people connected even in the biggest crowds.

300 million lives impacted through Vodafone Foundation

Vodafone Foundation uses technology to connect for good, and this year the true scale of its efforts shone through. In 2016, Vodafone Foundation set the ambitious goal of improving 300 million lives by 2025, which was achieved in September. 

Vodafone Foundation’s work is making a real difference to some of the world’s most pressing problems, through projects like Instant Network Schools, Instant Network Emergency Response, m-mama, Skills Upload Jr and many more.

Find out more about how Vodafone Foundation delivers connectivity in a crisis.

Powering sporting moments on the global stage

We’re just as passionate about sports here at Vodafone as anyone, and that's why we were delighted to recently become the proud sponsors of the UEFA Women’s Football and UC3, and an official licensee of the Champions League until 2027.

That’s not all though. We’ve also become the official sponsors of Borussia Dortmund, supporting the Bundesliga team throughout the upcoming season and beyond. The new football sponsorships continue a proud tradition of sporting partnerships at Vodafone, which span from rugby to volleyball and beyond.

As we close the chapter on 2025, one thing is clear: Vodafone’s commitment to getting everyone connected - people, communities, and businesses - has never been stronger. From pioneering satellite calls to expanding 5G and IoT networks, we’ve laid the foundations for a truly connected future. Here’s to an even more transformative 2026.