O2 has announced that its 5G network now provides coverage to 108 towns and cities across the UK. That’s up from 70-odd in early September, so in under two months the network has brought 5G to 38 additional places, including some major locations such as Milton Keynes, Ipswich, and Chelmsford.
So that’s a remarkably quick expansion, and a boost that puts the network only just behind EE in terms of number of places with 5G. EE is up to 112, while at last count Three had 5G in 68 places and Vodafone had it in 57 (as well as numerous locations abroad).
The additional places with 5G via O2 are:
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Aughton, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, Bedford, Bury St Edmunds, Byfleet, Cambridge, Chadwell St Mary, Chelmsford, Chipstead, Colchester, Doncaster, Durham, Epsom, Eton, Gatton Bottom, Gravesend, Great Yarmouth, Halifax, Harlington, Harlow, Hextable, High Wycombe, Hove, How Wood, Ipswich, Longford, Loughborough, Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Rugby, Shepperton Green, Southend-On-Sea, Stevenage, Stockton, Whickham, and Whitley Bay.
Of course, the amount of coverage in these places will vary from network to network, so you can’t go purely on the number of locations – it’s always worth using a network’s coverage checker to see exactly what it’s like in your area.
5G Coverage Checker
Find out which networks have launched 5G in your area,
or when it is coming to your area.
O2 hit this 108 location figure just one year after launching its 5G network, putting it ahead of schedule, and we don’t imagine it’s slowing down. This speedy expansion was probably at least in part due to O2’s partnership with Nokia and Ericsson, which means it didn’t suffer from the government’s decision to limit Huawei’s involvement in networks.
Derek McManus, Chief Operating Officer at O2 said: “When we launched 5G last October, we said it was the first step on a journey. One year on and we have made some incredible progress, not just in terms of our roll-out but in bringing about new capabilities that will make real changes to people’s everyday lives.
“No one could have predicted the way this year has turned out, and that almost overnight, customers would turn to their networks more than ever before to keep them connected to loved ones, colleagues and suppliers. Connectivity has never been more important, and we want our network to continue to raise the bar.
“We firmly believe 5G has a role in helping to rebuild Britain, unlocking huge possibilities for our economy and society. We’re excited to keep pushing ahead with our rollout along with our partners Ericson and Nokia, to keep supporting our customers, businesses and society.”
Keeping busy
O2 also used this announcement to highlight many of the other things it’s done this year, such as partnering with Northumbrian Water Group, to use 5G to allow technicians to remotely guide on-the-ground teams through complex tasks, as well as opening the first commercial laboratory for 5G and satellite communications in the UK, and helping the NHS trial a 5G clinic-on-wheels.
That’s as well as launching 5G accelerators, and investing in other network technologies. So O2 has certainly been busy. If you’re wondering if O2 has 5G where you are, the full list of the 108 locations is as follows:
Aberdeen, Ashford, Aughton, Aylesbury, Banstead, Basildon, Beaconsfield, Bedford, Belfast, Birmingham, Blaydon, Bradford, Bridge of Don, Brighton, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Byfleet, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chadwell St Mary, Chatham, Chelmsford, Chesterfield, Chipstead, Colchester, Coventry, Dartford, Derby, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Dundee, Durham, Dyce, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Epsom, Esher, Eton and Windsor, Gateshead, Gatton Bottom, Gillingham, Glasgow, Gravesend, Grays, Great Yarmouth, Halifax, Harlington, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead, Hextable, High Wycombe, Hove, How Wood, Huddersfield, Hull, Ipswich, Jarrow, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Longford, Loughborough, Lowestoft, Luton, Manchester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Morley, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newtownabbey, North Shields, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Orpington, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Rainham, Redhill, Rotherham, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Rugby, Sheffield, Shepperton Green, Slough, South Shields, Southend-On-Sea, Staines, Stevenage, Stockton, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunbury, Sunderland, Thundersley, Tynemouth, Warrington, Washington, Weybridge, Whickham, Whitley Bay, Worthing, and York.
