Virgin Media O2 accelerates UK 5G upgrade programme

As part of its £700m mobile transformation plan, which will see investment in 2026 to expand mobile network coverage, improve reliability and boost speeds, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has signed multiyear agreements worth hundreds of millions of pounds with Ericsson and Nokia to upgrade its UK mobile network.

The transformation plan is designed to focus investment in areas of the network that experience the highest levels of demand and where connectivity is most critical. Priority areas where the operator is looking to deliver significant improvements include railways, roads, dense urban areas, hard-to-reach remote locations, stadiums and venues.

By bringing its mobile and fixed networks closer together and using its own fibre network to connect mobile sites, VMO2 is confident that it can improve the resilience and speed at which it can deploy new mobile infrastructure. In hard-to-reach locations, satellite technology will also be used to connect the company’s towers, offering a cost-effective way to tackle remote signal notspots.

The deals with the two global comms providers will see the majority of VMO2’s radio access network (RAN) upgraded to the latest 5G+ technology, to improve network performance for millions of customers across the UK.

Upgrades are already underway across cities, towns and rural communities, with the company focused on improving connectivity in high-demand locations such as transport hubs, stadiums and city centres, as well as along major roads and railways. Thousands of sites will be enhanced with radios and baseband equipment, a move the operator said will significantly increase capacity in busy areas, extend coverage and improve reliability, while also enhancing 4G performance for customers across the network.

The upgrade is also designed to enable Virgin Media O2 to make use of its recently acquired spectrum from Vodafone, helping to meet rapidly growing demand for mobile data, which has more than doubled over the past five years.

As part of the modernisation, VMO2 plans to deploy more energy-efficient equipment and artificial intelligence (AI) software, which it can use to optimise network performance in real time, reducing energy consumption while delivering a more consistent experience for customers. It will also shift to multiband radios, which the operator claims will deliver “significant” operational and environmental benefits by replacing multiple radios per site, simplifying deployment and acquisition while reducing energy consumption.

Demand for mobile data continues to grow at pace, and we are focused on investing in the infrastructure needed to deliver a faster, more resilient network that can keep up with our customers’ expectations

“Our mobile transformation plan is delivering a step-change in network performance for our customers. These new long-term agreements with Ericsson and Nokia are a major milestone in that journey, helping us to significantly boost capacity, improve coverage and enhance reliability right across the UK,” said Virgin Media O2 chief technology officer Jeanie York.

“Demand for mobile data continues to grow at pace, and we are focused on investing in the infrastructure needed to deliver a faster, more resilient network that can keep up with our customers’ expectations. Last year, we added 1Tbps of capacity to our network, and we plan to add more than double that this year as we build the UK’s most reliable mobile network.”

The agreements with Ericsson and Nokia will additionally support the evolution of VMO2’s 5G+ network, with the operator set to work with the partners on “innovative” trials. The deal also enables capabilities such as network slicing, paving the way for future 5G-Advanced services.

“Virgin Media O2 is a close and trusted customer and partner of Ericsson’s,” said Patrick Johansson, head of Ericsson Europe, Middle East and Africa. “That trust is reflected in the RAN footprint increase in this partnership extension, where Ericsson will move from second-place vendor to powering the majority of Virgin Media O2’s radio network. We are proud to partner with Virgin Media O2 and will work closely with the company to realise its mobile transformation plan.”

Mark Atkinson, head of RAN at Nokia, added: “We are delighted to deepen our longstanding partnership with Virgin Media O2 through this important new 5G RAN deal. Our AirScale portfolio is designed to deliver the performance, efficiency and flexibility required for the UK’s future connectivity needs. We look forward to supporting Virgin Media O2 in building one of the most advanced and reliable 5G-Advanced networks in the country.”