The two companies have agreed a new multi-million GBP contract to deploy the latest products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The companies say this will bring greater 4G and 5G coverage and capacity to major cities and towns across the UK. Additional service upgrades and small cell solutions are included as part of the network modernisation which will see Virgin Media O2 customers benefit from enhanced mobile capacity, improved coverage, and faster speeds.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer, Virgin Media O2, said, “This multi-million pound investment in our network will mean our customers can benefit from more reliable and faster services at the same time as reducing overall carbon emissions.
“Building on our long-standing relationship with Ericsson allows us to deliver improvements quickly and efficiently, helping us move rapidly towards the future-proof networks our customers expect.”
Katherine Ainley, CEO, Ericsson UK and Ireland, added, “Ericsson is at the forefront of high-performance and energy-efficient 5G networks and this new agreement is another important milestone on our journey together with Virgin Media O2 to bring the very best in next generation connectivity to key locations across the UK.
“As end-to-end partner on both radio and core we are building a network of the future that will not only offer superior connectivity for Virgin Media O2 customers but also deliver an innovation platform that can help to transform new industries and pave the way to a more connected digital society.”
The latest generation of Ericsson quad-technology baseband, multiband and industry-leading 5G Massive MIMO radio AIR 3258 will be deployed across the network.
A reduction of up to 30 per cent in energy use is anticipated in comparison to the previous generation of radio, while a 40 per cent reduction in weight and volume will minimise impact on site infrastructure and help accelerate network deployment.