Virgin Media O2 said its 5G SA network now covers more than 70% of the country’s population
In sum – what to know:
Largest 5G SA footprint in U.K. – Virgin Media O2 now covers 70% of the population, with 500 towns and cities included in its 5G SA rollout.
Network designed for future use cases – Built on a cloud-based 5G core, the network enables applications like autonomous transport, digital health, and robotics.
Part of £700m investment plan – Expansion is linked to the company’s wider mobile transformation plan, including spectrum acquisition and targeted small cell deployments.
U.K. carrier Virgin Media O2 has activated its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network in 500 towns and cities across the U.K., covering more than 70% of the population, or approximately 49 million people.
In a release, the carrier claimed that this deployment marks the largest 5G SA deployment in the country to date.
In each of the 500 locations where 5G SA is offered, Virgin Media O2 reports that at least 90% outdoor coverage is provided.
The rollout continues as part of Virgin Media O2’s mobile transformation plan, which involves an estimated £700 million ($956 million) investment this year into 4G and 5G expansion, small cell deployments, and solutions for network bottlenecks in high-demand areas.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We are investing £2 million every single day to improve our mobile network and provide a more reliable experience for our customers. This customer-centric rollout is about futureproofing our network and will pave the way for exciting customer led innovations that lie ahead.”
In February, Virgin Media O2 activated its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network for business customers in the U.K., making it available to large enterprises, public sector organizations and small and medium-sized businesses on eligible plans.
The new infrastructure supports advanced use cases such as autonomous transport, remote healthcare, and fully automated manufacturing. It also enables network slicing – allowing for the creation of dedicated connectivity for specific applications such as augmented reality, gaming, and robotics.
In November 2024, Virgin Media O2 claimed to be the first operator in the U.K. to switch on 5G SA small cells. At launch, these were installed in central Birmingham, enhancing connectivity in some of the city’s busiest areas. The compact cells were mounted on existing street furniture to target zones with the highest data demand.
The deployment was carried out in partnership with Ontix and Alpha Wireless, utilizing Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology.
Virgin Media O2 officially launched its 5G SA network in 2024, with initial coverage across London, Manchester, Liverpool, Lincoln, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, York, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham, and Slough.
The operator was formed in June 2021 as a 50-50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica, following a merger approved by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in May 2020.
Virgin Media O2 also previously agreed to acquire 78.8 megahertz of spectrum from Vodafone UK, raising its total spectrum share to about 30% of the UK’s mobile holdings and strengthening its network capacity.
