VIRGIN Media O2 has announced a big boost to its 4G coverage in a bid to provide remote areas with a better connection.
The telecoms giant recently revealed a major upgrade to tackle spam calls.
Virgin Media O2’s shared rural 4G is now up in 100 spotsMikael Buck / Virgin Media O2
But now it’s released another service update, saying their shared 4G coverage has reached a new milestone becoming available in one hundred rural spots across the UK.
Virgin Media O2‘s latest roll out goal stands to benefit Three and Vodafone customers too.
With so much of our modern life taking place online, rural communities deserve the same standard of mobile connectivity as those in urban areas
Jeanie York
The upgrades provide all users with faster and more reliable mobile data and higher quality voice calls.
It’s all part of a £1billion Shared Rural Network programme where networks work together to boost connections in rural areas notorious for patchy or slow services.
Virgin Media O2 claims it has gone further than any other operator to date to deliver new infrastructure as part of the scheme.
The overall initiative between network operators and the Government aims to extend 4G connectivity to 95 per cent of the UK’s landmass by the end of 2025.
Of the 100 rural sites that have been built or upgraded by Virgin Media O2 so far, 78 are in some of the most remote parts of Scotland, including Shetland, Ardross, and Argyll & Bute, while 19 are in rural parts of England, including parts of Yorkshire, Suffolk and Kent, and three are in Northern Ireland.
Isle of Skye, the second-largest island in Scotland, became the 100th site to benefit from improved mobile connectivity, where helicopters were used to deliver and install new 4G masts to the island.
Taking into account the progress of Three and Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 combined, shared 4G services are now active in 146 rural locations.
“We’re going to extreme lengths connecting the most remote corners of the UK to deliver our share of the Shared Rural Network,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.
“This investment is vital to ensure we provide fast and reliable coverage to all areas of the UK.
“With so much of our modern life taking place online, rural communities deserve the same standard of mobile connectivity as those in urban areas, and we’re proud to be stepping up and playing our part.
“The 100 sites we have delivered will mean that more residents, businesses and visitors in rural areas can benefit from better mobile coverage, with more locations to follow in the coming months.
“This work is vital in tackling the urban-rural digital divide that exists in the UK.”
Bill increases
But it’s not all good news for Virgin Media O2 customers, as the firm has also announced that bills will be going up from April 1.
The company uses January’s retail price index of inflation plus 3.9% to determine its mid-contract price rises.
RPI is a measure of inflation that tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods over time, to see how prices have fallen or increased.
With January’s retail price index at 4.9%, millions are expected to see their bills rise by 8.8%.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “We will be writing to all impacted customers directly to explain when, why and how any price changes may come into effect.”
Read the full lowdown on how your Virgin Media O2 bill will be affected here.