O2 UK Expands 5G Standalone Mobile Broadband Network in Scotland

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today announced that they’ve so far switched-on their next-generation 5G Standalone (5GSA / 5G+) mobile broadband network across 66 large towns and cities, 175 smaller towns, and 1,120 villages in Scotland as part of its UK-wide rollout. A total of over 4 million people and businesses now have access in the country.

The new 5G+ network is now live across an overall total of more than 700 locations (over 70% of the UK’s population). The technology offers a pure end-to-end 5G network that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for IoT devices, increased reliability and security etc. By comparison, early 5G networks used a Non-Standalone (NSA) approach, which was hobbled by being partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure.

O2’s 5GSA rollout first began in February 2024 (here) and aims to reach “at least 90% outdoor coverage” in every location they reach. The operator’s rollout across Scotland includes: Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll & Bute, Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh City, Fife, Glasgow City, The Highlands, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Moray, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Stirlingshire, West Lothian, Oban, Rothesay, North Berwick, Thurso, Fort William, Aviemore, Strathaven, Lossiemouth, Kinross, Pitlochry and Dunblane.

Alongside the 5G+ rollout, O2 has also deployed Small Cells (i.e. mini short range base stations) in some of Scotland’s busiest urban areas to boost mobile capacity and performance in high-demand locations such as transport hubs and city centres. A total of 18 small cells have been deployed in Glasgow, alongside 6 in Perth and 7 will shortly be going live in Edinburgh, including a site outside the Scottish Parliament.

Professor Robert Joyce, O2’s Director of Mobile Access Engineering, said:

“From the biggest cities to regional towns and rural communities, this upgrade will help people across Scotland stay connected wherever they live, work or travel.

Combined with innovations like O2 Satellite which has connected huge areas that traditionally had no phone signal, and investment from our Mobile Transformation Plan, we’re strengthening connectivity across the country and ensuring customers get a faster, more reliable mobile experience.”