O2 confirms £700m network investment in 2026

O2 has announced that they expect to spend £700m on network investment this year. This reiterates their existing Mobile Transformation Plan, rather than being an announcement of new funding, and continues the spend level seen in 2025, which was also announced at approximately £2m per day, or £700m. Considering inflation, this could actually mean that O2 is slowing down investment this year compared to 2025.

The company is looking to enhance reliability, capacity and coverage across the UK and will do this through various network upgrades, including improvements to 4G and 5G, new masts and introducing some small cells which can help improve capacity. O2’s 5GSA network now reaches 87% of the UK population, and covers more than 700 towns and cities.

“Our Mobile Transformation Plan is all about building a network that customers can rely on wherever they are and whenever they need it. This £700m investment means we can keep improving performance in the places that matter most, from busy city centres and stadiums to railways, roads and rural communities.

We have already made significant strides in boosting coverage, capacity and reliability across the country, and our industry-leading 5G+ network now reaches 87% of the UK population. We are also the first UK operator to provide our customers with direct-to-device satellite connectivity, following the switch on of O2 Satellite. Customer satisfaction with our network continues to grow and we’ve recently been crowned the best network for coverage by uSwitch for the second year in a row.

By continuing to invest in new infrastructure, deploying additional spectrum and embracing greater automation, we are creating the stronger, smarter network that our customers need.”

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Media O2

O2 use a marketing term of 5G+ to refer to their 5GSA network, similarly to EE. This is not to be confused with 5G+ services in the US, which use mmWave 5G technology.