Virgin Media O2 has announced a number of new network initiatives and upgrades across Scotland.
The converged telecommunications company's 5G coverage in Scotland now covers 58 towns and cities - each with over 50% population coverage - including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Perth.
As part of this expansion, 37,000 postcodes across Scotland now have 5G coverage, with recent investment helping to expand the network by around a third in the last year alone.
Virgin Media O2 has also invested to upgrade its 4G network, with more than 33,000 postcodes in Scotland, including in Glasgow, Kirkcaldy, Stirling, Perth, Inverness and Edinburgh.
These come as the company continues to invest more than £10bn pounds to upgrade the UK and drive forward the Scottish Government's commitment to make Scotland a “truly digital nation”.
In rural communities, Virgin Media O2 has upgraded its mobile infrastructure to provide new services as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.
A recent example of the impact this is making is on the Isle of Gigha, where residents and businesses now have access to faster and more reliable 4G services, improved network capacity and an enhanced mobile experience. Other locations also getting better mobile connectivity include Pipers Scar, Tarbert, Braemar West, Loch Seaforth, Portachoillan, Kennacraig, Aline Lodge - Adrdovourlie and Benbecula - Market Stance.
Since 2015, Virgin Media O2 has invested around £207m to expand its network and bring ultrafast broadband to more than 350,000 Scottish homes and businesses, and following upgrade works completed last year, all 1.2 million premises on its network are now able to access gigabit broadband delivering speeds of 1.1gbps.
Last year, the company announced its intention to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) by 2028.
Then last month its shareholders Liberty Global and Telefónica, alongside investment firm InfraVia Capital Partners, invested £4.5bn for the creation of a new fibre joint venture.
To minimise the environmental impact of its fibre rollout, the company has successfully trialled the use of recycled aggregate while working with Glasgow City Council to expand its broadband network in Cranhill.
The success of the trial, which saw the sustainably-sourced materials undergo on-site testing and monitoring, should pave the way for more expansive use of recycled materials in future. With more than 100,000 tonnes of aggregate used each year by Virgin Media O2’s Project Lightning network expansion programme, switching to recycled aggregate could save more than 450 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Business Minister Ivan McKee visited a dig site in Glasgow to follow the process of laying fibre cables.
He commented: “Investment by Virgin Media O2 across gigabit-capable broadband, 4G and 5G mobile coverage is helping improve digital connectivity.
“Improving our digital infrastructure is critically important and will help build a more prosperous, resilient, equal and sustainable economy as part of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.”
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