Virgin Media O2 teams up with VMware to finalise EU and UK 5G roll-out

Virgin Media O2 UK has selected VMware to help modernise its network and enable the continued success of its 5G rollout.

The company will leverage VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure to rapidly design, build, test and implement virtualised network functions, boosting innovation across its network and the delivery of new services. The collaboration has underpinned the deployment of Virgin Media O2’s 5G network over the past 16 months.

VMware’s Telco Cloud Infrastructure...

RootMetrics: EE maintains UK mobile network performance lead

The latest UK Mobile Performance Review from RootMetrics finds that EE remains the operator to beat.

EE earned the top spot across all seven of RootMetrics’ performance categories: Overall Performance, Reliability, Accessibility, Speed, Data, Call, and Text. The operator took home 109 of 112 RootScore Awards in major metropolitan areas.

Patrick Linder, Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications at RootMetrics, said:

“As the UK’s hunger for data...

Virgin Media O2 humiliates rivals by not reinstating EU roaming fees

Virgin Media O2 is taking a playbook once written by rival Three and will buck the trend of reinstating EU roaming charges.

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer of Mobile at Virgin Media O2, said:

“We’re starting the year by giving our customers some certainty: we will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe for customers on O2 or Virgin Mobile.

Unlike all the other major mobile networks who are bringing back roaming fees, we will not be following suit....

O2 is gifting data to Big Issue sellers this Christmas

O2 is getting in the festive spirit by gifting free data to hundreds of Big Issue sellers.

The free data, given as part of the National Databank initiative, will help the sellers to access essential online services and go cashless to help them grow their business.

Over 200 Big Issue sellers will receive 7GB of data per month in addition to unlimited texts and calls to help them keep in touch with friends and family.

Rodney Lyall, a Big Issue vendor based in...

Virgin Media O2 expands National Databank to tackle data poverty over Christmas

Following a successful three-month trial, Virgin Media O2 is expanding its National Databank across the UK to tackle data poverty over Christmas.

A shocking 1.5 million homes in the UK are currently without internet access. This “digital divide” limits opportunities all year round, but it’s especially bleak around Christmas.

Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“With many millions of people still facing digital exclusion, now...

Over 90% of Virgin Media O2’s network is now gigabit-ready

Virgin Media O2’s network is now over 90 percent gigabit-ready, putting the ISP on track to upgrade its entire footprint by year-end.

The provider’s latest switch-on connected a further 1.6 million homes in towns and cities including Lincoln, Bath, Lancaster, Fife, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Slough, and Salisbury.

14.3 million premises are now able to access the gigabit network’s average download speeds of 1,130Mbps.

Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at...

Digital Connectivity Index: The UK needs to build momentum to “level up”

The first Digital Connectivity Index shows the UK needs to build momentum to climb the rankings and reap the substantial benefits.

Economic modelling experts Oxford Analytica and Virgin Media O2 partnered up to create the index which is based on “thousands” of OECD datapoints.

Of the 24 OECD countries, the UK is currently ranked joint eighth alongside Spain, Norway, and Lithuania:

CountryIndex...

Virgin Media O2 launches its first joint product since £31B merger

Virgin Media O2 has launched Volt, the company’s first joint product since the £31 billion merger between the telecoms giants earlier this year.

Volt is a service that combines Virgin Media’s speedy broadband network with O2’s mobile connectivity into a single “supercharged” package for customers.

Benefits of taking up a broadband package and pay monthly mobile plan with Volt include:

A broadband speed boost to the next tier available (e.g. 100Mbps...