Virgin Media O2 activates 5G Standalone network in 500 towns and cities

Virgin Media O2 has expanded its 5G Standalone (SA) network to 500 towns and cities, claiming “the largest deployment of its kind in the UK.”

The rollout now covers more than 70 per cent of the population, reaching around 49 million people, and is available to customers at no additional cost with a 5G SA-compatible device and SIM.

Customers are expected to see improved reliability, higher speeds and lower latency compared to non-Standalone services, which still depend partly on 4G infrastructure.

Virgin Media O2 says its 5G SA network delivers at least 90 per cent outdoor coverage.

Virgin Media O2’s SA network is built on a cloud-based 5G core, that can support next-generation applications such as autonomous transport, remote healthcare and industrial automation. The operator launched SA for enterprise customers earlier this year.

Chief Technology Officer Jeanie York said Virgin Media O2 is investing around £2m a day in its network: “By expanding our 5G Standalone network to 500 towns and cities and 70 per cent of the population, we are future-proofing our network and paving the way for exciting customer-led innovations that lie ahead.”

The upgrades form part of Virgin Media O2’s £700m Mobile Transformation Plan for 2024. This includes wider 4G and 5G coverage, the deployment of small cells in dense areas, and targeted improvements on transport routes, at airports, and in stadiums.

Virgin Media O2 will acquire 78.8 MHz of spectrum from Vodafone UK, which will bring its total holdings to about a third of UK mobile spectrum.