Virgin Media O2 will invest approximately £700 million into its mobile network under its Mobile Transformation Plan.
The investment will enhance its reliability, speed and coverage.
This significant investment programme comes in response to growing mobile network demand, with traffic more than doubling in the last five years.
The ongoing transformation programme includes major investments in mobile infrastructure and core network upgrades. The programme will be focused on expanding 4G and 5G coverage to historic not-spots in rural and coastal areas, a dedicated small cells rollout to boost capacity in dense urban areas, and innovative solutions to address persistent network pain points, including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas.
By bringing its mobile and fixed networks closer together and using its own fibre network to connect mobile sites, the operator will 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 Virgin Media O2’s towers, offering a cost-effective way to tackle remote signal not-spots.
Network hotspots such as stadiums and transport hubs will benefit from innovative partnerships and bespoke solutions including distributed antenna systems designed to significantly increase throughput and customer experience in some of the most high demand locations.
This year, Virgin Media O2 will carry out major programmes to evolve its mobile network to be fit for the future, including deploying additional spectrum, using artificial intelligence and decommissioning outdated parts of the network, including the 3G network.
Decommissioning this legacy network will allow Virgin Media O2 to focus investment into more energy efficient and higher capacity future networks, and using AI will enable the operator to gain efficiencies that will be reinvested to improve the network experience.
Virgin Media O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan will focus investment into parts of the network that experience the highest levels of demand and areas where connectivity is most critical.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer, Virgin Media O2, said, “Virgin Media O2 is committed to providing our customers with a reliable connectivity experience wherever they are. Our Mobile Transformation Plan combines the necessary financial investment with the latest technological innovation to make this a reality.”
“We’re not just upgrading infrastructure; we’re creating a platform for future innovation. This programme ensures our customers will continue to benefit from superior reliability as new technologies and demands emerge.”
The programme forms part of Virgin Media O2’s wider £2 billion investment this year in its fixed and mobile networks and services.