Virgin Media O2 has announced the switch-on of its 5G Standalone network for large enterprise, public sector, and SME customers on eligible tariffs across the UK. Business customers in 500 towns and cities across the UK will now be able to access this major upgrade, which brings wider 5G coverage, higher bandwidth, and improved latency. Customers on eligible tariffs using a compatible device and SIM will automatically benefit from the network upgrade, offering enhanced connectivity and performance, which launches at no extra cost.
This upgrade will unlock many of the innovative use cases associated with 5G, such as autonomous transport solutions, remote healthcare, and fully robotic factories. It will also enable network slicing and pave the way for Virgin Media O2 to offer dedicated services for augmented reality, gaming, advanced robotics, and other business use cases in the future.
Unlike existing non-standalone 5G services, which have relied on parts of the 4G network to send and receive data, Virgin Media O2’s 5G Standalone network is a completely new network built using the newest future-proofed radio infrastructure and a totally cloud-based core. Thanks to this multi-million-pound investment, large enterprises, public sector organisations, and SMEs will benefit from enhanced network reliability and a larger coverage footprint.
Jo Bertram, Managing Director, Business and Wholesale, Virgin Media O2
The switch-on of our next-generation 5G Standalone network will make reliable, fast, on-demand connectivity a reality for our business customers. For the UK to capitalise on the benefits AI and the latest tech developments bring, high-quality network infrastructure is essential. Our 5G Standalone network provides a foundation for new services like Private Networks and Network Slicing, meeting the connectivity needs of businesses today and in the future.