Virgin Media O2 UK Switches on First 5G Standalone Small Cells

After launching their commercial 5G Standalone (SA) mobile network during February 2024 (here), O2 (Virgin Media) has today followed that up by claiming to have become the “first UK operator to switch on 5G standalone small cells“. Customers in Birmingham city centre will be the first to benefit from the faster mobile broadband kit (up to 300Mbps).

Small cells are like mini shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around +/- 100 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas and specific sites – it’s not uncommon to find these discreetly sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (i.e. they can be more cost-effective than building new street assets or trying to secure wayleaves on buildings).

However, most small cells can only support up to Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G, which means they are still partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for IoT devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc.

The big news today is that O2 (VMO2) have been able to shrink 5G SA down to the size of small cells, which have initially gone live to serve customers with increased mobile capacity (faster speeds) in the “exceptionally busy areas” surrounding Birmingham’s Broad Street and Fleet Street.

The new 5G SA small cells have been delivered in partnership with Ontix and Alpha Wireless, using MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology. O2 claims the first kit has been delivering speeds of up to 300Mbps to those nearby, which is pretty good by small cell standards, if not exceptional for 5G more widely (issues of backhaul capacity and spectrum frequency play a big role here, which will vary from place to place).

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“Small cells are playing a vital part in our mission to bring reliable mobile coverage to all customers and improve services in the busiest areas.

Having already turned on our cutting-edge 5G standalone network in more than 300 towns and cities, available to customers at no extra cost, we’re working hard to ensure all our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times.”

The deployment forms part of VMO2s broader network upgrade strategy, which has seen them investing £2 million every single day to “future-proof” their mobile network and meet the increasing demands of customers for seamless connectivity. This comes against a backdrop of rising demand, with the amount of mobile broadband data consumed by O2 customers increasing 26% in 2023.

O2’s wider 5G SA network went live, at “no extra cost” to customers, across busy parts of Manchester, Liverpool, London, Lincoln, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, York, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham and Slough earlier this year. The operator’s latest update states that it is now available in over 300 towns and cities. But as usual, you’d need a compatible device in order to benefit from this.