Virgin Media O2 UK Expand 5G and Gigabit Broadband in Scotland

Mobile operator O2 has revealed that more than 50% of Scotland’s population can now be reached by their 5G mobile network, while its next generation 5G Standalone (5GSA) network has so far gone live across 54 Scottish towns and cities. On top of that, Virgin Media has invested £330m to expand gigabit broadband to more than 1.5 million Scottish premises.

The updates were provided as part of a visit by Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, to VMO2’s new Maxim Park office in Lanarkshire (home to 350 staff). O2 also revealed that the operator had more generally upgraded its 4G/5G mobile network in more than 28,000 Scottish postcodes this year alone, enhancing mobile reliability and performance (part of their wider £700m Mobile Transformation Plan).

However, at the time of writing, it’s unclear whether Virgin Media’s separate £330m gigabit broadband upgrades on their fixed line network in Scotland include separate investment from nexfibre. The ISP and network operator notes that their fixed line network now covers “50% of the population, officially making it Scotland’s largest gigabit provider“, except Thinkbroadband’s latest data notes that Openreach’s full fibre (FTTP) covers nearly 57% of premises.

First Minister, John Swinney, said:

“Digital connectivity is central to how we live, work, and learn. It supports our public services, enables economic growth, and connects people and businesses throughout Scotland – something that is particularly important for our rural and island communities.

Delivering better connectivity across the country requires collaboration, and Virgin Media O2 is a valued partner in that work: from investment in fibre and creating new mobile infrastructure, to supporting digital inclusion and our Connecting Scotland programme. I very much welcome the company’s ongoing commitment to Scotland and the invitation to visit its new Scottish headquarters at Maxim Park.”

In addition to the above, VMO2 said they’d now also partnered with the Scottish Government and Citizens Advice to provide 1,200 refurbished smartphones to people who cannot afford devices or data. This is via their Community Calling Partnership with environmental charity Hubbub and the National Databank scheme.

Finally, the provider has also recently announced that they’re working with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) and Jangala to bring free Wi-Fi connectivity to mobile library services across Scotland. “This first-of-its-kind UK pilot will see mobile library vehicles in rural locations equipped with Jangala’s ‘Big Box’ technology, powered by mobile data donated by O2, that will provide a WiFi connection for residents“, said VMO2.