O2 Launch Faster 5G Standalone UK Mobile Network in 14 Cities
O2 (Virgin Media / VMO2) has today become the second major UK mobile operator, after Vodafone, to switch-on a commercial 5G Standalone (SA) network in the UK, which will deliver faster mobile broadband speeds (inc. latency) and more service flexibility. The service has initially gone live in parts of 14 cities and comes at “no extra” cost to customers.
At present most existing 5G networks in the UK are classed as Non-Standalone (NSA), which are partly reliant upon some older and slower 4G infrastructure. By comparison, SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G networks that can also deliver improvements such as ultra-low latency times (fast), greater energy efficiency, better upload speeds, network slicing capabilities, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, increased reliability and security.
The new network from O2 will be available to consumers with 5G Standalone compatible SIMs and devices (more on that later) “at no extra cost“, which means that customers will seamlessly switch between 4G, 5G or 5G Standalone to ensure they experience the best connectivity wherever they are.
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The initial launch cities include: Manchester, Liverpool, London, Lincoln, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, York, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham and Slough. But O2 has yet to clarify how much 5G SA coverage they’ve been able to deploy in each location and what bands they’re using for the service.
Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:
“The launch of 5G Standalone is the culmination of a multi-year programme and is a real leap forward in the evolution of our mobile network. While it’s still early days, our customer-centric rollout will continue throughout 2024 with some consumer customers seeing the immediate benefits including increased reliability and coverage. This new technology will future proof our mobile network for years to come and paves the way for exciting customer led innovations in the future.”
The operator plans to continue deploying 5G SA technology to more towns and cities throughout the UK during 2024, although they’ve yet to specify any specific coverage targets. However, the Government’s recent Wireless Infrastructure Strategy (WIS) did set out a related ambition, which calls for mobile operators to ensure that “all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G (5G-plus) by 2030” (here).
One catch with new mobile technologies like this is that customers will need the latest software and an R15 SIM in order to access the service, which is currently said to be available on the following devices:
Samsung S24
Samsung S24+
Samsung S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 5G
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G
Samsung Galaxy S22
Samsung Galaxy S22+
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Sony Xperia 1 V
Sony Xperia 5 V
Samsung Galaxy S23
Netgear M6
Samsung A25
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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 and Linkedin.
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Why no support on iPhone or Pixel?
Vodafone don’t support IPhones either yet
Don’t know why, but Google shows that R15 sims were available in the US from T-Mobile for the Pixel 7 Pro about a year ago, so there appears to be no technical reason (unless there’s something different in the frequency specs of US and UK models).
I have finally abandoned O2 because they have no 5G support in Chorley/Leyland, gone from a 3Mb 4G service to 350Mb 5G service with Smarty and saved on cost as well. O2 too little, too late and still not there.
I’ve just ditched them for VF ….. now I know VF are not great either, but VMO2 too much reliance on 3G for my liking, especially in areas where they claim to have 5G!
Nice to see a fellow Leylander on here. It’s my home town but family are still there. Last time I visited about a month ago I noticed EE 5G is now available but contrary to the 5G myth, it was slower than 4G. Then again, I had the same thing with Three when they first launched 4G, their 3G was faster..
In Skelmersdale, I often get 150Mpbs on 4G, still no 5G with EEa, yet.
As te saying goes: “we will see”. Their so called 5G speeds are beyond poor. I work for the NHS in W London and central London. Their download / upload speeds are very poor. When I was on VM I used to get circa 250 Mbits down. Now I rarely get 6 on their 5G across London.
A lot of interesting questions pop up with this…
Interested to see the requirement of an R15 SIM. Can anyone shed more light on this? Would this be different to the “5G SIMs” that started promoting/mentioning since 5G launched? I always assumed there was fundamentally no difference and just a marketing this (though why when there’s no additional cost).
I’d also assume the use of “SIM” doesn’t only mean physical SIM.
Also, no iPhones, i wonder why…
Does this include O2 MVNO’s?
How odd that O2’s own website says “Get 5G with our latest 5G-ready devices” and lists iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 7 Pro.
Aren’t they referring to 5g NSA?
Would be nice to see Vodafone push ahead with this.
Are VMO2 using new spectrum for this? Will a different 5G logo appear on my Samsung device when I’m on SA as opposed to NSA 5G I wonder?
O2 need to put a disclaimer on their website that when they say 5G, They mean 5G NSA. As the iPhone is listed as 5Gready on the O2 website, But isn’t compatible with this 5G standalone, so it’s going to really confuse people
I’m sure Apple will supply UK iPhones with support for R15 SIMs (and will get extra sales when some people upgrade).
Another gimmick?
Might be better sorting out there joke of a Network.
Ive been listening to some podcasts recently where people are discussing that there appear to be a lot of issues with 5G standalone.
I.e. compatibility seems to be a thing, but no one is admitting it.
So I dont think its just cost to deploy that has been holding back the technology.
I guess in countries like Korea, most devices are Samsung and most of the operator’s cells are Samsung so it less of an issue.
It should be noted that on the London Underground, they are now focussing on LTE, and rely heavily on federated wi-fi offload.
‘5G standalone will come later’
I use eSims, this maybe a very stupid question but if Vodafone or o2 ever do let iPhones use 5G standalone I won’t actually need to switch back to a physical sim right?
Nah esims will do it toi