Virgin Media O2 has actively expanded its 5G Standalone (5G SA) services for business customers throughout the UK. This move significantly impacts large enterprises, public sector organizations, and small to medium businesses that are on eligible plans.
The UK-based carrier announced that its network now touches 500 towns and cities. This infrastructure supports advanced applications, including autonomous transport and remote healthcare, as well as network slicing for augmented reality and robotics.
An impressive feat is the Virgin Media O2 network’s coverage, which now reaches over 75% of the UK’s population. Jo Bertram, Managing Director of Business and Wholesale, stated, “The switch on of our next-generation 5G Standalone network will make reliable, fast, on-demand connectivity a reality for our business customers.”
Last November, Virgin Media O2 highlighted its success as the first UK operator to activate 5G SA small cells. These small cells enhance mobile connectivity by leveraging existing street infrastructure. They strategically target high data demand areas in city centers such as Birmingham. The technology rollout features contributions from Ontix and Alpha Wireless, utilizing the latest Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology.
As of 2024, the company had deployed its 5G SA network in major cities including London and Glasgow. This network evolution is an outcome of a joint venture established in June 2021 between Liberty Global and Telefónica.
