O2 mobile customers to get satellite coverage in remote areas
Virgin Media O2 has partnered with Starlink to boost its mobile coverage and offer customers satellite data connections when they are in an area in the UK without signal.
This new product is called O2 Satellite and will offer messaging and data services in remote areas without traditional cellular connectivity. In these cases, traffic will instead be routed through Starlink’s satellite broadband infrastructure.
Starlink is the world’s largest and only satellite-to-mobile constellation, with more than 650 satellites in Low Earth Orbit that work together to deliver data connectivity to handheld devices across the world.
As part of this partnership, O2 Satellite will see Starlink’s constellation use O2’s licensed mobile spectrum to provide connectivity to its UK customers who are outside the coverage of the operator’s terrestrial broadband network.
O2 Satellite aims to address coverage issues in UK ‘not-spots’ and to bring the operator’s national coverage to over 95% of the UK’s landmass in the next 12 months.
Providing satellite internet connectivity to customers will allow them to use their handsets when hiking, camping, or sailing around the country, Virgin Media O2 said.
Once rolled out publicly and activated by customers, O2 Satellite should automatically take over when an O2 customer enters an area outside of the operator’s traditional mobile network.
“This UK-first partnership is another example of Virgin Media O2 innovating to provide a better experience and peace of mind for our customers on top of the £700 million we are already investing in our mobile network this year,” said Virgin Media O2 CEO Lutz Schüler.
“Starlink is a clear leader in this space, operating the world’s most advanced satellite constellation, which makes it the right partner to complement our existing coverage and support Virgin Media O2’s ambition to deliver reliable mobile connectivity across the UK.”
The technology is currently being trialled internally and is expected to roll out for customers in the first half of 2026. Pricing and more details are expected in the coming months.
Customers interested in signing up to the O2 Satellite service can register on the O2 Satellite website.
