Virgin Media O2's 5G mobile broadband available to 64% of London

Charlotte Whyatt • 17 Feb 2022

The capital now has one of the largest 5G footprints within the provider's network. 

Virgin Media O2 has announced that it’s ultrafast 5G mobile broadband is now available to 64% of London’s population. 

This expanded coverage was made possible due to the deployment of the 700MHz low band spectrum which allows the 5G signal to travel a lot further and better penetrate buildings. 

This 700MHz spectrum was previously occupied by Freeview channels but Ofcom finished migrating these over to new frequencies in August 2020. Virgin Media O2 then began using it to roll out their 5G services toward the end of 2021. 

Virgin Media O2 claims to have the largest share of this low band spectrum amongst the UK’s top mobile providers, although ISPreview puts them level with EE. 

The provider rolled 5G out to over 2,000 locations across the UK in 2021 and now has 5G coverage in 300 different towns and cities. They’ve also pledged to make their 5G services available to 50% of the population in 2023. .

“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,” said Virgin Media O2’s chief technology officer Jeanie York. 

“We are taking a customer-centric approach to our mobile network strategy, which centres on optimising our network where our customers need them most.”

Source: BroadbandTVNews