Orange and Vodafone Share Major 5G High-Speed Rail Contract in Spain
Orange and Vodafone jointly secured the three available lots for a total value of 117 million euros including VAT. The contract covers the installation and ongoing maintenance of Adif Network infrastructures to support 5G coverage along various high-speed train routes, as reported in the two companies’ separate filings.
Orange was awarded the first two lots in a package valued at 71.6 million euros before VAT, reaching 86.4 million euros with the 21 percent VAT. Vodafone claimed the third lot for 25.5 million euros, rising to 30.9 million euros after VAT is added.
Orange won Lot 1 with a bid of 28.9 million euros, or 34.7 million euros including VAT, involving a brokered arrangement. The route includes the Plasencia-Cáceres-Badajoz corridor and a Granada-Antequera segment. The company also tied Lot 2 to this package, which features the corridor with the greatest activity, spanning Olmedo and Ourense, with a bid of 42.7 million euros excluding VAT, and 51.7 million euros including VAT.
This award reinforces Orange’s leading position in 5G infrastructures. The company emphasizes that the high technical scores reflect robust quality and reliability, reinforcing its role in advancing 5G business initiatives in Spain. Joaquín Colino, Orange’s B2B general manager, highlighted this achievement as a standout moment for the company in the telecoms space.
Vodafone and the Spanish Association of Industrial Companies SEMI will extend 5G networking to key high-speed corridors in southern and eastern Spain, namely the Albacete-Alicante and Barcelona-Figueres routes. They completed the third lot at 25.5 million euros, rising to 30.9 million euros with VAT. The contract duration spans five years and covers the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of 700 MHz and 800 MHz frequency bands.
The deployment is planned to be completed by December 2025, with maintenance continuing through 2028. The work involves SEMI handling engineering and civil construction, while Vodafone builds the 5G network using Ericsson technology. This combination aims to accelerate network readiness along major rail corridors.
Julia Velasco, Vodafone Spain Network Director, noted that the deployment would improve freight and passenger traffic management, enable advanced logistics services, and support the ecological transition toward more sustainable transport networks. Her remarks underscore the project’s broader impact on efficiency and environmental goals in the transport sector.
Telephone Exclusion
Earlier this year a temporary association of companies, including Adif Alta Velocidad, Telefónica Spain, and Telefónica Móviles Spain, submitted an economic bid for the tender. The evaluation stage focused on the technical aspects of the projects as reported by the government procurement portal. The inclusion of economic offers in the technical stage raised concerns and was viewed as a potential violation of the tender rules, which could lead to exclusion from consideration.
Telefónica participated as a bidder, with offers tied to the second and third lots. One of these allocations ultimately went to Orange and the other to Vodafone, with bids corresponding to the installations on the Olmedo-Ourense and Albacete-Alicante routes, as well as the Barcelona-Figueres corridor.
Smart Management
The new 5G infrastructure for the high-speed rail network is being deployed across ten strategic logistics terminals. The investment totals 20.5 million euros and aims to promote digitalization while automating processes and reducing rail transport costs. The 5G facilities will enable advanced logistics services and smarter management of goods traffic, facilitating smoother transfers and encouraging intermodality among the main rail nodes of the system.
These enhancements will join Adif and Adif AV’s existing telecommunications assets, which already include more than 24,000 kilometers of fiber optic networks, around 1,900 technical buildings, and more than 700 mobile sites. The upgrade promises to strengthen the overall connectivity of Spain’s rail infrastructure and support more efficient, data-driven logistics operations.
Authoritative sources highlight the strategic role of these deployments in modernizing rail networks, improving service reliability, and enabling ecosystem-wide digital transformation across freight and passenger services. The projects align with ongoing efforts to modernize European rail corridors and expand high-speed connectivity across the region, benefiting operators and travelers alike.