The installments will boost connectivity for the city’s residents
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has introduced the UK’s first 5G standalone (SA) small cells in Birmingham, boosting mobile connectivity in some of the city’s busiest areas, it claimed in a press release this week. These new 5G small cells, installed on street furniture around Broad Street and Fleet Street, are designed to improve mobile capacity where demand is highest.
Initial performance data suggests that the new 5G SA cells provide a smoother mobile experience, helping customers with activities like browsing and streaming.
Unlike large cell towers, the small units can be fitted onto existing structures to bring focused coverage improvements in urban spaces. This latest installation adds to Virgin Media O2’s ongoing rollout of small cells across the country.
The 5G standalone network, launched by Virgin Media O2 earlier this year, now covers over 300 towns and cities. Unlike older 4G and 5G networks, standalone 5G offers faster speeds and lower delay times, giving O2 customers better,faster and more reliable connections at no extra cost.
Partnering with Ontix and Alpha Wireless, VMO2 has also introduced MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, which allows speeds of up to 300Mbps in Birmingham’s city centre.
MIMO works by using multiple antennas at both the transmitter (in this case, the small cells) and receiver (such as a user’s smartphone), allowing for simultaneous data streams. This technique maximises the efficient use of available spectrum, meaning more data can be transmitted at once, leading to higher speeds and lower latency.
“Small cells are playing a vital part in our mission to bring reliable mobile coverage to all customers and improve services in the busiest areas,” said VMO2 CTO Jeanie York. “Having already turned on our cutting-edge 5G standalone network in more than 300 towns and cities, available to customers at no extra cost, we’re working hard to ensure all our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times,” she continued. VMO2 launches UK’s first 5G standalone small cells in Birmingham…
