U.K. carrier Virgin Media O2 said it has successfully trialed the use of smart poles to boost its mobile coverage in local areas across the country.
The trial, delivered in collaboration with Liberty Global, has seen new smart poles installed beside the Virgin Media O2’s existing national fiber network cabinets. The poles, which do not require planning permission, can be installed in less than a day and house small cell technology that can boost mobile coverage in busy areas, the carrier said.
The telco also explained that the electricity for these smart poles is supplied by Virgin Media’s fiber network rather than a traditional power supply through innovative ‘digital electricity’ technology, which transmits power from on-street cabinets in the local area along fiber optic cables.
Virgin Mobile O2 highlighted that small cells housed at the top of the pole add capacity to the local mobile network, reducing congestion and improving services for users. The deployment of this infrastructure reduces cost and complexity by negating the need for a separate backhaul connection or dedicated electricity supply and can help avoid a potentially time-consuming planning process, the carrier added.
Virgin Media O2 currently operates around 25,000 street cabinets across the U.K., all of which are connected to the national grid and which could power these new smart poles.
The telco also noted that smart city infrastructure, including electric vehicle (EV) chargers, can also be built into the poles providing new opportunities for Virgin Media O2 to further monetize its network in future.
Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2, said: “As we continue investing to upgrade and expand our network, we’re always looking for new ways to work smarter and deliver more for our customers. Groundbreaking trials like this can help boost mobile coverage and bring next generation services to even more customers.”
Last month, the telco said its 5G network reached a coverage of 50% of the country’s population as of the end of 2023.
Virgin Media O2 had launched services in June 2021 as a joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica in the U.K.
Liberty Global and Telefonica had reached an agreement to merge their U.K. operations in a 50-50 joint venture in May of 2020. That same month, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to allow the proposed merger between mobile operator O2 and Virgin Media.