Virgin Media O2 (VMO) has announced upgrades to its 4G network and new 5G deployment across more than 55,000 rural postcodes ahead of the festive shopping season. According to the official release, VMO performed these upgrades with the anticipation that they would help resolve everyday connectivity issues faced by small businesses in rural areas, such as accepting card and online payments. VMO stated that the upgrades were performed with the Christmas shopping period in mind, as it is crucial for small businesses.
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Economic Impact
VMO highlighted that these upgrades come as economic modelling from Cebr for Virgin Media O2 shows that improving rural connectivity could add an additional GBP 16.3 billion to the UK economy and create 108,000 new jobs.
Virgin does not want the digital divide between urban and rural areas to hinder sales during the festive season, as shoppers in rural areas have been unable to buy from small businesses due to connectivity challenges. Common issues include being unable to make card or contactless payments (42 percent), finding a business online (45 percent), and a lack of online purchase options (23 percent).
Addressing Connectivity Challenges
Virgin Media O2 said it has made significant 4G and 5G network upgrades to rural postcodes across the UK to support rural communities. Over the past year, the operator has deployed a high-speed 5G network to more than 30,000 rural areas and has also improved its 4G network to boost capacity in more than 34,245 postcodes across the countryside.
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Additionally, Virgin Media O2 said it continues to deliver part of the UK Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN) program at pace, announcing earlier this year that it had further expanded its 4G network to an additional 50 sites and secured planning consent for work at a further 100 sites.
