Virgin Media O2 mentioned the Manchester deployment is a part of a wider nationwide plan to increase SA 5G to cities, cities, and transport routes
In sum – what to know:
5G SA reaches Manchester area – O2 has launched 5G SA in Manchester and close by cities, bringing the know-how to greater than 500 places throughout the UK.
A part of wider transformation plan – The rollout helps Virgin Media O2’s program to broaden 4G and 5G protection, add small cells and enhance connectivity alongside transport routes and high-traffic venues.
Spectrum deal strengthens capability – A 78.8 MHz spectrum acquisition from Vodafone lifted O2’s holdings to about 30% of UK cell spectrum, supporting nationwide upgrades.
U.Ok. provider Virgin Media O2 has activated its 5G SA community in Manchester and a number of other surrounding cities in Better Manchester, extending the next-generation service to greater than 500 places throughout the U.Ok.
The rollout covers the town of Manchester and close by areas together with Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Oldham and Bury. Greater than 589,000 residents in Manchester at the moment are inside attain of the SA 5G community, in keeping with the telco.
The deployment varieties a part of Virgin Media O2’s cell transformation program, geared toward enhancing connectivity throughout city facilities and transport corridors. This system consists of small-cell deployments in dense areas and upgrades alongside rail strains, airports, motorways and enormous venues. The operator mentioned Manchester’s heavy commuter flows, giant pupil inhabitants and frequent main occasions create sturdy demand for dependable cell capability, significantly alongside transport routes and within the metropolis heart.
The operator additionally mentioned the community improve is meant to help future digital companies and enterprise use circumstances.
The launch builds on earlier community work within the area. Throughout 2025, Virgin Media O2 upgraded 4G and 5G companies at 65 websites, enhancing protection throughout greater than 14,000 postcodes in Manchester.
Virgin Media O2 launched its 5G SA community in February 2024. Not like non-standalone deployments, 5G SA operates independently of legacy cell applied sciences and is constructed on a devoted 5G core, enabling decrease latency and improved help for superior companies, together with AI-driven purposes.
Final yr, Virgin Media O2 introduced that it had agreed a take care of rival operator Vodafone to accumulate 78.8 megahertz of spectrum, bringing the operator’s complete spectrum holding to roughly 30% of U.Ok. cell spectrum. Particularly, Virgin Media O2 acquired 20 megahertz within the 1400 MHz band, 18.8 megahertz within the 2.1 GHz band, 20 megahertz within the 2.6 GHz band and 20 megahertz within the 3.4 GHz band.
The deal adopted the completion of the merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK. The switch of spectrum is a part of a wider deal struck between Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone UK in July 2024 the place the pair had agreed to increase and improve their present cell community sharing association for greater than a decade, in keeping with Virgin Media O2.