Vodafone and Meta scheme cuts mobile network traffic and boosts video quality

The two companies have announced a new scheme to help free up network space for users to watch more high-quality short videos.

The two firms said they have worked together to free up network capacity for mobile users (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Mobile phone users can view more high-quality short-form videos as a result of a new technological collaboration between Vodafone and Facebook parent company Meta.

The two firms said they have worked together to free up network capacity for mobile users – testing it in 11 regions in Europe – to cut network traffic and enable more people to watch better-quality videos.

Vodafone said it had freed up network space at popular 4G and 5G sites in busy locations, such as shopping centres and transport hubs, while Meta said it had made improvements to its video engineering and infrastructure deployment systems, resulting in better optimisation and efficiency.

We are committed to continuing our collaboration with innovative partners like Vodafone, device manufacturers, equipment vendors and the wider digital ecosystem, to push the boundaries of video optimisation

Gaya Nagarajan, Meta

The two companies said they had conducted an initial three-week test in the UK in April, and were now open to working with other firms to expand the use of the technology, saying it would help keep critical networks free of congestion and save energy.

Meta also owns Instagram, which is known for its short-form videos as well as image-based posts.

Alberto Ripepi, chief network officer at Vodafone, said: “Meta’s willingness to optimise the delivery of video for its applications leads the way for a more efficient use of existing network resources.

“Vodafone and Meta have implemented these optimisations across Vodafone’s European markets and intend to continue collaborating to foster additional efficiencies.”

Meta vice president of network engineering Gaya Nagarajan said: “Our relationship with Vodafone is a long-term partnership, and collaboration on video optimisation is an opportunity to drive innovation and shape the future of the internet.

“We are committed to continuing our collaboration with innovative partners like Vodafone, device manufacturers, equipment vendors and the wider digital ecosystem, to push the boundaries of video optimisation.”