Virgin Media O2 Integrate Neutral Host Small Cell into Live UK 5G SA Network
O2 (Virgin Media) has partnered with IONX Networks to become one of the first mobile operators in the UK to successfully integrate a neutral host Small Cell into their live 5G Standalone (SA) core network, which supports the ongoing expansion of their new ultrafast mobile broadband service (currently available to more than 70% of the population).
Just to recap. 5GSA networks are pure end-to-end 5G connections that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for IoT devices, increased reliability and more. Unlike older Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G networks, they don’t have any legacy 4G in the mix to slow them down.
Meanwhile, Small Cells are mini shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations, which are 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 sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or even inside buildings to boost mobile coverage.
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Sadly, today’s announcement from IONX Networks doesn’t tell us anything about where their Neutral Host (i.e. a network that mobile operators or other communications providers can then buy access to via wholesale) based Small Cell has been deployed within O2’s national network. But the fact it’s a Neutral Host setup means that rival operators may also be able to harness it, once a deal is done.
Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at VMO2, said:
“At Virgin Media O2, we have the largest 5GSA of any operator and are focused on bringing it to more locations through our £700m Mobile Transformation Plan. This neutral host approach supports our mission to densify 5G in a scalable, cost-effective way — bringing the power of 5GSA to more people.”
The new deployment is said to follow the UK’s wider Joint Operator Technical Specifications (JOTS) framework, while also adopting a unified, software-defined architecture supporting both MORAN (Multi-Operator RAN) and MOCN (Multi-Operator Core Network) features.
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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