Virgin Media O2 strikes partnership with Starlink to combat UK mobile coverage blackspots

Getting a mobile signal in Britain’s remotest corners is set to become significantly easier as Virgin Media O2 clinches a pioneering deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network to address coverage ‘not spots’. Announced yesterday, the deal will allow O2 Satellite to harness Starlink’s 650 Direct to Cell satellites, offering Virgin Media O2 clients the ability to send text messages and access the internet in areas previously outside the reach of conventional mobile service.

The new satellite-enabled service, now in its trial phase, aims for a launch at the beginning of next year. While voice and video calling will remain unavailable at the outset, data connectivity and messaging are poised to transform rural and hard-to-reach parts of the UK. Pricing has yet to be revealed, but the service is expected to be included with premium tariffs and as an add-on for other customers, akin to existing roaming charges when travelling overseas.

Britain has persistently lagged its European and global peers in the roll-out of the latest generation of mobile technology. A 2023 Open Signal survey found UK users had the lowest average 5G download speeds among G7 nations. Virgin Media O2’s agreement with Starlink is historic, marking the first such partnership between a UK network operator and Musk’s satellite company, though rivals like BT have previously conducted trials with the technology.

Competition is fierce among telecoms groups striving to remedy Britain’s patchy network. Vodafone recently claimed the world’s first satellite video call from a standard smartphone in collaboration with Texas-based AST SpaceMobile. Starlink dominates the market for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, boasting a constellation of around 7,000, vastly outnumbering Europe’s largest provider, Oneweb, which fields just 648 in comparison.

Low-Earth orbit satellites, positioned closer to the planet than traditional geostationary models, are expected to bring robust connectivity to virtually any location. With such infrastructure, businesses and individuals operating in previously inaccessible or poorly served areas will soon enjoy reliable service. Liz Lloyd, the UK telecoms minister, lauded this private sector innovation for its potential to deliver palpable benefits to Britons nationwide, from farmers in Cumbria to hikers in the Cairngorms.

Virgin Media O2’s ambition is to extend its 5G coverage from the current reach of around 80 per cent of the UK landmass to over 95 per cent within a year of deployment. If successful, the Starlink partnership could set the standard for satellite–mobile integration, providing a crucial boost to the UK’s digital infrastructure and economic competitiveness.