O2 UK Finally Adding 5G Support to Pay As You Go Mobile Plans UPDATE
Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has confirmed that they’re currently in the process of “enhancing” their Pay As You Go (PAYG) SIM services and plans during the second half of 2025, which among other things seem to be finally adding support for their latest 5G (mobile broadband) network.
At present O2’s PAYG page still doesn’t make any mention of 5G support and until recently their related FAQ section continued to state that PAYG plans didn’t support it (despite last year’s confusion). But this started to change in July 2025 after a number of PAYG customers began to notice that the 5G icon was popping up, for the first time, on their phones.
Readers of ISPreview will know that there’s often a big difference between seeing the 5G icon and actually getting a true 5G connection on your device (sometimes 5G is still a 4G service), so such things do have to be taken with a pinch of salt until confirmed. But the good news is that O2 has now confirmed the change to be true (credits to Jonathan Jeffrey Cox for spotting).
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O2 Support Statement
Just to clear any confusion, we are currently enhancing our Pay & Go connectivity during the 2nd half of this year and customers will start to receive 5G services as their Pay & Go Bundle allowances refresh.
If you’re not currently on a Bundled product you will receive 5G service over the coming months.
Our online pages/FAQs will be updated to reflect this in due course.
The news will no doubt be welcomed by those on O2’s PAYG plans, particularly given that the lack of 5G support has often caused a few grumbles. But we should add that there’s currently no mention of whether this also extends to include the latest end-to-end 5G Standalone (5GSA) network technology, but we will be asking that question today and will report back.
UPDATE 1:44pm
As somewhat expected, VMO2 have confirmed to ISPreview that the 5G roll-out on PAYG doesn’t currently extend to include 5GSA.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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So it will be the slow “5G” speeds as to be expected!! I am on an O2 contract. Speeds are too slow!
Leave then
I get over 100 meg most places
EE should be doing the same next for pay as you go 5G
And speed up from 25 meg bloody stupid really
Forget EE, go with one of the MNVOs using the EE network such as 1pMobile which gives you everything EE including 5G and no speed caps for a much better price than EE direct.
Exactly, If you want EE quality but dont want EE prices then 1p Mobile is the place to go.
VoLTE is also being added gradually afaik
Wonder if my old classic sim will get upgraded?
It doesn’t really make a difference considering the fact users still on classic pay as you go are hardly going to benefit from 5G data as no many users will use data considering it is £10 per 1gb
I get 25 Gig in the EU. no other provider is that generous. Most people do not get good speeds. Look in the forum and see how variable it is.
Lebara allows 30GB of EU usage. iD mobile also allowed 30GB, but now allow use of your full UK data allowance in the EU until further notice.
1p mobile have inclusive 25GB on their plans
Tesco Mobille gives me 30gig of data? and it’s FREE
It’s hardly a surprise considering 3G is being shut down so I guess they had to finally get their finger out and show their prepay customers some love.