Guest blog: Connecting for Climate - Digital Networks for Response and Resilience

At Vodafone UK, our aim is to create a digital society that includes everyone and protects the planet, and we believe connectivity and technology is key to unlocking the UK’s potential.

Our network provides connectivity to over 18 million customers across the UK, from individuals customers to small businesses and some of the UK’s largest organisations. As such, operational resilience and customer experience is key to our success.

Climate adaptation and resilience has therefore been incorporated into Vodafone UK’s risk management framework and business continuity strategy with our Network Operations Centre playing a crucial role in monitoring our network and enacting our Adverse Weather Crisis Plan.

Yet the importance of integrating climate resilience and adaptation into network design and planning is ever growing given the increasing number of extreme weather events seen in the UK.

The recent approval of our proposed merger with Three UK provides exciting opportunities to develop the UK’s leading 5G mobile network. This also comes with responsibilities to ensure that our network is developed with climate resilience in mind.

Technology plays a crucial role in emergency preparedness and response by offering innovative solutions to address inherent challenges and enhance overall outcomes. For instance, 5G connectivity significantly enhances emergency preparedness by enabling a robust cell broadcasting system that sends alerts directly to compatible devices within a defined area.

This system, which also operates on 4G, alerts users to various emergencies, including severe flooding, fires, health emergencies, or industrial incidents. These alerts are free to receive, completely secure, and available across 4G- and 5G-compatible phones and tablets without any user action required. In an emergency, the alert can manifest as a siren-like sound, device vibration, or a spoken message, ensuring that the warning is received promptly and effectively.

Moreover, 5G-enabled IoT can help with preparedness by monitoring key climate resilience risks associated with emergencies in the UK. IoT solutions offer the potential to detect a rise in air pollution or rising flood levels, helping local communities and the Government tailor action plans to mitigate key risks.

Technology also plays a significant role in responding to emergencies. Vodafone connectivity is crucial for critical public services. A nationwide 5GSA network will significantly enhance emergency response capabilities.

For example, 5G-connected ambulances bridge the gap between ambulances and hospitals, with ultra-low latency reducing lag time to just a few milliseconds. This allows for high-resolution video calls between ambulance and hospital staff, enabling response teams to share key patient data with emergency departments faster than ever, preventing treatment delays upon arrival. Doctors can receive diagnostic exams from the scene before the patient arrives at the hospital, optimising treatment time.

UK businesses and consumers expect reliable communication networks. Our customers depend upon us, and we take great care in delivering a reliable network experience. Resilience is a cornerstone of Vodafone's operations, ensuring that communication networks remain robust and reliable even in the face of various challenges. Vodafone has developed a comprehensive strategy to enhance the resilience of its telecoms infrastructure. While it is impossible to avoid all service interruptions, we strive to minimise them.

The threats we face are constantly evolving, ranging from cyber-attacks by hostile state actors to severe weather impacting our sites and grid power availability. We remain vigilant, safeguarding the resilience and reliability of our network for the benefit of our customers and the country.

Our key sites are designed to be power autonomous and equipped with site-appropriate resilience solutions. For instance, Mobile Telephone Exchanges (MTXs) have generator backups, and we are conducting a trial to augment this capability with renewables. Our cellular sites have a range of different solutions, depending on their location, the space available and the degree to which they benefit from overlapping coverage. A typical site will have battery provision in place to accommodate short term interruptions to grid power.

Nature-based solutions for disaster and climate resilience are well documented. They are some of the most effective solutions, whilst simultaneously being some of the cheapest. Investing in these solutions and leveraging connectivity, data and technology to monitor habitat restoration is therefore both pro-nature and pro-business.

An example of this is our work in the River Nith in Scotland where we have worked in partnership with the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board to use IoT connectivity to monitor water quality and water temperature and associated impacts on salmon population health. In turn, the data has enabled targeted tree-planting which has reduced river temperature and seen an increase in the local salmon population. For more information see here.

In terms of more technical solutions, given the environmental impact of widescale battery usage we should also consider new and innovative technologies to bolster national climate resilience. Whilst direct-to-device satellite technology is in its infancy, it could shift the dial in making the UK telecoms network even more resilient. To bring this into fruition we need to work with Government, regulators and industry partners to ensure that they support and foster this kind of innovation.

Climate, Environment and Sustainability Programme activities

The techUK Climate Programme provides opportunities for members to present tech solutions that assist carbon emission reduction, circularity, and human rights goals. We also help our members with their own net zero transition, including measurement, implementation, compliance, and reporting. Visit the programme page here.