Vodafone Spain and industrial group SEMI won a contract to install and maintain 5G network infrastructure on two high speed rail routes in the country, with the five year deal worth more than €25.5 million.

In a statement, Vodafone explained the infrastructure will cover routes between Albacete and Alicante, and from Barcelona to Figueres, and must be active by December 2025. The maintenance portion of the agreement runs until the end of 2028.

The contract is with national rail infrastructure operator ADIF, with Vodafone partner SEMI charged with the engineering and construction works to host the kit. Ericsson equipment will be used in the network, the operator noted.

Vodafone Spain network director Julia Velasco said the 5G network along the rail route will enable “provision of advanced logistics services and a more efficient management of freight and passenger traffic, favouring the ecological transition towards more sustainable transport”.

The deal marks ADIF’s most recent move to deploy the latest generation of mobile technology across Spain’s railway network and its own operations.

Earlier this year, it signed a contract with Cellnex and Nokia to deploy a private and public 5G networks in its logistics centres, a deal touted by the vendors as aiding digitalisation, process automation and cost reduction in freight transport.