Virgin Mobile has switched on its 5G service, giving customers who upgrade to 5G access to the superfast speeds in 100 UK locations. However, while Virgin Mobile’s 4G customers will be accessing EE’s network infrastructure, those on 5G will be using Vodafone’s network.
This isn’t new information. Virgin Mobile had previously revealed that its 5G service would by powered by Vodafone – and going forward its 4G service will be changing provider too, but not until the end of the year.
As Virgin Media is using Vodafone’s 5G, that means customers will have coverage in all the same places as Vodafone, meaning parts of 100 UK locations, including most large towns and cities:
Check Virgin Media coverage
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Aberdeen
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Alexandria
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Ambleside
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Aughton (Sth Yorks)
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Basingstoke
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Bebington
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Belfast
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Birkenhead
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Birmingham
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Bishopbriggs
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Blaydon
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Bolton
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Bootle
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Bournemouth
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Bradford
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Bristol
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Bristol Airport
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Cardiff
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Cheadle and Gatley
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Cheltenham
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Chesterfield
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Clydebank
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Crawley (West Sussex)
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Crosby
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Dewsbury
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Dinas Powys
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Droylsden
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Dudley (West Midlands)
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Dundee
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Eccles
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Edinburgh
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Eston and South Bank
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Felling
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Gateshead
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Glasgow
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Gloucester
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Gosforth (Tyne & Wear)
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Guildford
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Hebburn
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Helensburgh
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Horwich
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Huddersfield
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Huyton-with-Roby
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Inner London
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Isles of Scilly
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Jarrow
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Kingston upon Hull
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Kingswood (Bristol)
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Lancaster
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Leeds
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Lisburn
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Liverpool
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Llandudno
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Long Benton/Killingworth
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Manchester
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Mangotsfield
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Middlesbrough
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Morley
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Mosborough/Highlane
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Newbury
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Newcastle upon Tyne
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Newtownabbey
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North Shields
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Oldbury/Smethwick
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Outer London
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Paisley
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Penarth
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Plymouth
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Portsmouth
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Prescot
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Prestwich
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Pudsey
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Rawmarsh
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Reading
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Rochdale
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Rotherham
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Salford
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Sheffield
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Shipley
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Solihull
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South Shields
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Southampton
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Stockport
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Stockton-on-Tees
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Stoke-on-Trent
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Stranraer
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Stretford
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Sunderland
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Sutton Coldfield
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Swansea
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Swinton and Pendlebury
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Tynemouth
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Urmston
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Wallasey
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Wallsend
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Warrington
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Washington
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Whitley Bay
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Wolverhampton
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York
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4.5 times faster
In terms of speeds, Vodafone claims that customers on Virgin Media 5G can expect average download speeds of 176Mbps, which is around 4.5 times faster than the average 4G speeds they’d have been getting. So 5G is a big speed upgrade – as well as being more reliable and offering lower latency.
You’ll need a 5G phone to take advantage of this of course, but Virgin Mobile now stocks a range of these, including the new Samsung Galaxy S21 range, and includes 5G at no extra cost. And if you already have a 5G phone, you can also get 5G at no extra cost on a range of SIM-only plans.
It’s worth noting that this move to Vodafone’s infrastructure will likely only be temporary, as Virgin Mobile is planning to merge with O2 – but even assuming the deal goes through, we’d expect any switch to O2’s infrastructure is a long way off.
Editorial Manager
James has been writing for us for over 10 years. Currently, he is Editorial Manager for our group of companies ( 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk) and sub-editor at TechRadar. He specialises in smartphones, mobile networks/ technology, tablets, and wearables.
In the past, James has also written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media, Smart TV Radar, and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV. He has a film studies degree from the University of Kent, Canterbury, and has over a decade’s worth of professional writing experience.
