Ericsson has strengthened its long-standing partnership with Virgin Media O2 through a five-year agreement that will position Ericsson as the primary Radio Access Network (RAN) supplier across the operator’s UK network.
The deal represents a major milestone in Virgin Media O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan aimed at delivering faster, more reliable connectivity nationwide.
Ericsson will power the majority of Virgin Media O2’s radio network, supporting a large-scale modernization initiative designed to significantly enhance network performance, capacity, and efficiency. The agreement reflects increasing demand for high-quality mobile services, as Virgin Media O2’s mobile traffic has more than doubled over the past five years.
A central component of the transformation strategy is the optimization of newly acquired 5G mid-band spectrum, enabling the operator to strengthen its leadership in 5G Standalone (SA) connectivity. With 5G SA already reaching 87 percent of the UK population, the upgrade will allow Virgin Media O2 to transition a larger share of its customer base to next-generation network capabilities.
The deployment will include a broad portfolio of Ericsson Radio System products, such as advanced multiband Massive MIMO radios, including the AIR 3229 and Radio 4486. These solutions are designed to improve spectral efficiency, increase capacity, and reduce energy consumption across both new and existing network sites.
In addition to hardware upgrades, Ericsson will introduce AI and machine learning-driven software to enable real-time network optimization. These intelligent systems will dynamically manage traffic loads, improve service quality, and enhance operational efficiency, supporting the growing complexity of 5G networks.
Network programmability will also play a key role in unlocking the full potential of 5G SA. By leveraging technologies such as network slicing, Virgin Media O2 will be able to deliver differentiated services tailored to enterprise, industrial, and application-specific use cases. This capability is expected to open new revenue streams while improving customer experience.
The partnership is further aligned with Virgin Media O2’s long-term evolution toward Cloud RAN and future 5G-Advanced deployments, ensuring the network remains scalable and adaptable to emerging technologies and use cases.
This latest agreement builds on a series of ongoing investments under the Mobile Transformation Plan. In 2025, the operator focused on expanding capacity through additional spectrum, deploying small cells, and upgrading high-traffic locations such as stadiums and transport hubs. Coverage was also extended to railways, major road networks, and underserved rural and coastal regions.
Virgin Media O2 has already demonstrated strong progress in its network expansion. By the end of 2025, its 5G outdoor population coverage reached 87 percent, representing a 12 percentage point increase within a year. The company’s full-fibre footprint expanded to 8.3 million premises, while its gigabit-capable network grew to 18.8 million premises. Capital expenditure remained a key driver, with £2,089.2 million invested during the year.
Industry recognition has further validated these efforts. Opensignal ranked Virgin Media O2 as the UK’s top broadband provider, while Umlaut Connect identified O2 as the most improved mobile network in Europe.
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