O2 confirms massive Android and iPhone boost that you'll get completely free

If your chosen mobile network is O2, there's good news when you need to stream movies, download files or make video calls when away from home. It's just been confirmed that O2 (which is now part of Virgin Media) is boosting its platform across the UK. In fact, the update is bringing the next-generation 5G - which is called 5G Standalone - to 500 towns and cities. That means over 45 million people will get access with O2 boasting that it represents the country’s largest 5G Standalone deployment.

If 5G Standalone all sounds a bit geeky, let us explain.

This is basically a much better way to stay connected and is not only faster than older services such as 4G but also more reliable.

In fact, O2 says those who are connected to to its signal via a 5G device will benefit from broader 5G coverage, higher download speeds, and reduced latency.

To make things more enticing. If you already have a 5G-ready phone and 5G plan, this update won't cost a penny extra.

According to O2, the historic town of Bakewell, Derbyshire, became the 500th location to benefit from Virgin Media O2’s industry-leading 5G Standalone rollout, where the milestone has been celebrated with the creation of a record-breaking giant Bakewell Tart.

"Unlike previous 5G services that relied on elements of the 4G network for data transmission, Virgin Media O2’s 5G Standalone network is a new end-to-end 5G network built on the latest future-proofed radio infrastructure and a fully cloud-based 5G core," O2 explained. "This enhances network reliability, expands coverage, and will pave the way for next-generation digital experiences."

If you are fully 5G ready, you shouldn't need to do a thing.

You'll simply see the better speeds when out and about.

Speaking about the changes, Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We are investing £2m every single day to improve our mobile network and provide a more reliable experience for our customers.

"By expanding our 5G Standalone network to 500 towns and cities and 70% of the population, we are continuing to deliver on that and are excited about the opportunities the new network will bring. This customer-centric rollout is about futureproofing our network and will pave the way for exciting customer led innovations that lie ahead.”

Virgin Media O2 is not the only provider announcing a big n news. EE also recently announced "major network updates” that it says are set to benefit millions by improving the reliability of its 5G network.

The firm says it is the first mobile operator in the world to switch on what’s known as Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC) technology, which is said to result in “faster, more consistent performance” of 5G, in turn passing on faster download speeds and video streaming as well as more reliable connections to smartphones connected to the EE 5G network.