Vodafone-led consortium to deliver next phase of air quality monitoring network across London

• Vodafone will lead a consortium of private, third sector and academic partners to deliver the next phase of Breathe London for the Mayor of London.

• Under Vodafone’s leadership, the consortium will expand the project across the capital to provide Londoners with reliable, highly accurate data, helping communities to understand, monitor and act on air quality where they live and work.

24 June 2025: Vodafone will collaborate with experts from Global Action Plan, Airly, Ricardo, Scotswolds Ltd, Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) and the University of Cambridge to coordinate all 146 existing air quality sensor sites across the capital.

The consortium will also engage key communities and organisations, such as schools, NHS Trusts and Local Authorities, to make accurate air quality data available to everyone in London, while helping communities turn data insights into action in the fight against air pollution.

The four-year renewal of this initiative, which first launched in 2018 with the Breathe London pilot, builds on London’s existing monitoring network. In doing so, it provides a new approach to data quality, by extracting high-resolution data from the air quality sensors and processing it, then comparing and aligning the insights with standard reference monitors to ensure its accuracy and reliability. This will give Londoners access to more robust, high-resolution data that can drive action and change.

The new consortium plans to improve and develop the existing program, with new commitments to sharing and understanding the data. The collected information can be viewed on a new Breathe London website, allowing Londoners to see real-time, hyperlocal air quality data in their area, with resources available to help people take action on air pollution in their community.

Vodafone will use its Global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to enhance the efficiency and reach of Breathe London. By using its network infrastructure, which already spans the capital, Vodafone will work with local partners Ontix and SRL to identify additional sensor locations, providing more local communities with pollution data.

Vodafone has already implemented a successful pilot in Glasgow City Centre to monitor air quality using sensors on mobile base station masts. This initiative was a UK and European first and demonstrates how high-resolution air quality data can be scaled by using existing network infrastructure.

Along with Vodafone’s network, the consortium’s expert team – comprised of Scotswolds, Airly, CERC, University of Cambridge, and Ricardo – has designed and operated several other large-scale sensor networks projects and developed advanced calibration and quality assurance techniques.

Airly’s sensors deliver hyper-local and continuous data and, alongside the University of Cambridge, Ricardo, Scotswolds and CERC, the consortium will ensure alignment with best practices for the sensor network deployment and the long-term accuracy and reliability of the data produced by the air quality network.

Vodafone and the consortium will also explore how environmental insights, such as footfall and weather, can inform pollution exposure studies and air quality forecasts.

Global Action Plan, the environmental charity behind the UK’s largest public campaign on air pollution, Clean Air Day, will spearhead an innovative engagement programme as part of the consortium. The programme will provide resources and support to enable hospitals, schools, and local authorities to use air pollution data to take essential action for clean air.

The consortium will work with Clean Air Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies to extend the footprint of the Breathe London network of air quality monitors and scale the engagement activities to reach even more Londoners.

Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of London, said: “I am delighted that Vodafone will deliver the next stage of my pioneering Breathe London programme by leading a consortium of partners and utilising their technical expertise and advanced connectivity. Reducing London’s air pollution is one of my top priorities and this advanced monitoring network will provide invaluable data to help organisations across the capital take action on air quality and protect public health.”

Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, VodafoneThree, said: “We’re thrilled to lead this consortium, bringing together our combined expertise to deliver the next stage of the Breathe London project. With high-levels of air pollution in the capital, it is crucial we can give Londoners access to real-time, hyperlocal air quality data in their area and help them make better informed decisions about their health and well-being. At VodafoneThree, we are committed to putting the communities we serve and the environment they live in first, and we will continue to explore what else might be possible in both London and other UK cities in the future.”

Sonja Graham, CEO, Global Action Plan, said: “Clean air is crucial for good health. Air pollution is largely invisible, cutting Londoners’ lives short through serious health conditions like lung and heart disease, dementia, and strokes. Breathe London will help make air quality visible, giving data directly to schools, hospitals and communities and helping them take action and call for clean air, focusing on the places where people most need it.”

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 20 million unique full fibre premises in the UK through partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk