Vodafone UK
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 7 January 1980 |
| Founder | Vodafone |
| Headquarters | Newbury, England |
Number of locations | 387 stores |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Max Taylor (CEO) |
| Brands |
|
| Services | |
| Parent | VodafoneThree |
| Website | vodafone |
Vodafone Limited, trading as Vodafone UK (stylised as vodafone), is a British telecommunications company, owned since May 2025 by VodafoneThree, a joint venture between Vodafone Group (51%) and Three owner CK Hutchison Holdings (49%). The country's first cellular phone call was made on the Vodafone network in 1985, and the world's first SMS text message in 1992.
Vodafone is the third-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 18.3 million subscribers as of February 2025, followed by O2, EE and its network partner Three.
In June 2023, it was announced that subject to regulatory approval Vodafone UK and Three UK will merge to create Britain's biggest mobile network. The merger was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority in December 2024, and completed in May 2025, with the company becoming part of VodafoneThree. Within six months of the merger, customers are expected to receive access to a shared Vodafone-Three network.