Vodafone UK has announced that they’ve worked with Google to bring MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) support to their Pixel 8 Pro and new Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Fold phones when on the mobile operator’s new 5G Standalone (broadband) network, which has helped to boost upload speeds. But Google users won’t be the only ones to benefit.
Vodafone has already made 5G SA technology (i.e. their end-to-end pure 5G network) available in the “busy areas” of 23 cities and hundreds of other locations across the UK, although it’s currently only accessible to customers with supporting devices on their Ultra plans.
However, until recently, owners of Google’s Pixel 8 and 9 Smartphones haven’t been able to take full advantage of some of the new network’s features (when covered by it). But that started to change in June 2024, when MIMO technology was introduced to Google’s phones, resulting in faster uploads, and enhanced Uplink Carrier Aggregation (ULCA – using several radio bands at once) was also added for increased download speeds.
Vodafone has since doubled the number of antennas communicating with Google’s phones, improving their mobile broadband performance and the reliability of the connection. This is complemented by the new ULCA combinations available on their 5G Ultra network, allowing the simultaneous aggregation of four spectrum bands (i.e. more spectrum capacity and greater efficiency of the transmission itself).
Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer, Vodafone UK, said:
“By looking at the data, we can clearly see customer behaviour changing as more of our lives become digital. In previous years, the digital highway was a one-way street, with consumers downloading significantly more data than uploading, but it is starting to balance out now. We must recognise this customer trend and adapt our network as a result.”
Michiel van Eldik, VP, Devices & Services Partnerships, Google EMEA, said:
“We want our customers to have the freedom to share their experiences seamlessly and in the highest quality possible. That’s why we’re thrilled to partner with Vodafone on network advancements that make this a reality. Whether it’s live-streaming a concert or sharing a 4K video with loved ones, we’re committed to providing the best possible mobile experience.”
We should point out that MIMO technology, which is an enhancement in which multiple antennas are used at both the source (mobile mast) and the destination (the user device), is nothing new to wireless networks. But sometimes extra work is required to ensure that these enhancements are properly supported with each new generation of technology and device. It’s a similar story for ULCA, which was also part of the 4G Advanced (LTE-A) spec.
The good news is that Vodafone now intends for both of these capabilities, under their 5G SA network, to be “made available on other devices in the future“. But at the time of writing, we don’t currently know which devices that will include or when the enhancements will go live for them. Sadly, Vodafone did not provide any benchmarks to show the before and after impact of these changes, which would have been interesting.