Virgin Media O2 has announced that a series of upgrades to its 5G network means it now reaches 64% of London’s population.
The expanded footprint has been made possible following the deployment of low band 5G spectrum which enables mobile signals to travel further. Virgin Media O2 has the largest share of such spectrum amongst the major network operators.
London now has one of the largest 5G footprints within Virgin Media O2’s network. The company, which has committed to investing at least £10 billion in the UK, delivered 5G to over 2,000 sites across the country last year and now has 5G coverage in areas spanning 300 towns and cities. It has promised to reach 50% of the UK’s population with its 5G services in 2023.
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “Providing a 5G boost is part of our long-standing investment in the capital and our mission to upgrade the UK through our ongoing investment in 4G, 5G, fixed broadband and innovative new services. We are taking a customer-centric approach to our mobile network strategy, which centres on optimising our network where our customers need them most.
This follows significant investment in fixed broadband network expansion and upgrades across London over the past 6 years. The company has extended its footprint to reach 340,000 more premises through its Project Lightning programme and made gigabit broadband available to more than 6 million Londoners – delivering speeds 16 times faster than the capital’s average. This comes following more than £200 million of broadband investment in the City in recent years.
The company completed its wider gigabit rollout in December, meaning that over 15.5 million homes across the UK can now access broadband with average download speeds of 1,130Mbps. Virgin Media O2 has also recently announced its intention to upgrade its fixed network to full-fibre to the premises (FTTP) with completion in 2028.
