Virgin Media O2 stated the Manchester deployment is a part of a wider nationwide plan to increase SA 5G to cities, cities, and transport routes
In sum – what to know:
5G SA reaches Manchester area – O2 has launched 5G SA in Manchester and close by cities, bringing the know-how to greater than 500 areas throughout the UK.
A part of wider transformation plan – The rollout helps Virgin Media O2’s program to increase 4G and 5G protection, add small cells and enhance connectivity alongside transport routes and high-traffic venues.
Spectrum deal strengthens capability – A 78.8 MHz spectrum acquisition from Vodafone lifted O2’s holdings to about 30% of UK cellular spectrum, supporting nationwide upgrades.
U.Ok. provider Virgin Media O2 has activated its 5G SA community in Manchester and several other surrounding cities in Higher Manchester, extending the next-generation service to greater than 500 areas throughout the U.Ok.
The rollout covers the town of Manchester and close by areas together with Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Oldham and Bury. Greater than 589,000 residents in Manchester at the moment are inside attain of the SA 5G community, in accordance with the telco.
The deployment kinds a part of Virgin Media O2’s cellular transformation program, geared toward enhancing connectivity throughout city facilities and transport corridors. This system consists of small-cell deployments in dense areas and upgrades alongside rail strains, airports, motorways and huge venues. The operator stated Manchester’s heavy commuter flows, massive scholar inhabitants and frequent main occasions create robust demand for dependable cellular capability, significantly alongside transport routes and within the metropolis heart.
The operator additionally stated the community improve is meant to assist future digital providers and enterprise use circumstances.
The launch builds on earlier community work within the area. Throughout 2025, Virgin Media O2 upgraded 4G and 5G providers at 65 websites, enhancing protection throughout greater than 14,000 postcodes in Manchester.
Virgin Media O2 launched its 5G SA community in February 2024. Not like non-standalone deployments, 5G SA operates independently of legacy cellular applied sciences and is constructed on a devoted 5G core, enabling decrease latency and improved assist for superior providers, together with AI-driven functions.
Final 12 months, Virgin Media O2 introduced that it had agreed a take care of rival operator Vodafone to accumulate 78.8 megahertz of spectrum, bringing the operator’s whole spectrum holding to roughly 30% of U.Ok. cellular spectrum. Particularly, Virgin Media O2 acquired 20 megahertz within the 1400 MHz band, 18.8 megahertz within the 2.1 GHz band, 20 megahertz within the 2.6 GHz band and 20 megahertz within the 3.4 GHz band.
The deal adopted the completion of the merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK. The switch of spectrum is a part of a wider deal struck between Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone UK in July 2024 the place the pair had agreed to increase and improve their present cellular community sharing association for greater than a decade, in accordance with Virgin Media O2.
