Virgin Mobile’s 5G Goes Live in 100 UK Towns and Cities with Vodafone

By Half Cooked on September 11th, 2021 in Virgin Mobile

Telecommunications company Virgin Media announced that their 5G services are now live in 100 towns and cities across the UK via Vodafone.

The network has said its new 5G service is available to customers at no extra cost, provided their handsets and SIMs are 5G ready. This also applies to existing Virgin Mobile customers as long as they have a 5G ready handset.

While the network says their service is live in 100 UK cities and towns, this doesn’t necessarily mean 5G is available across the whole city or town. We strongly recommend using Virgin Mobile’s 5G coverage checker before you commit to one of their pay monthly contracts. Just enter your postcode and see the coverage in your area. Vodafone are expanding their next-generation coverage on a regular basis, but it’s hard to tell when the service will be live in more areas.

As for data speeds, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile offer identical 5G download speeds. This means Virgin Mobile’s average 5G download speeds should be around 152Mpbs, per OOKLA’s October 2020 speed test results.

The chief operating officer at Virgin Media, Jeff Dodds said:

“The launch of 5G is a milestone moment for us. As the world’s first virtual mobile operator, our offering has long been about breaking boundaries and offering our customers a premium service without the price tag. That’s why we’re launching fast, reliable 5G connectivity at no extra cost while keeping the added extras of our existing mobile plans in place.

By offering 5G and gigabit broadband all under one roof, Virgin Media customers can experience next-generation connectivity both in and out of the home, putting them in a great place to take advantage of the latest technology.”

Both new and existing Virgin Mobile customers who upgrade to a 5G plan will be automatically migrated to receive all mobile services from Vodafone. Customers taking a 4G plan on Virgin Mobile will remain on Virgin Media’s mobile service via EE’s network for the time being. However, the network’s agreement with BT Enterprise (owners of the EE network) will come to an end in late 2021 and they too will be moved to receive all mobile services from Vodafone eventually.

All of Virgin Mobile’s SIM only plans come with unlimited UK minutes & texts, data-free messaging on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger & Twitter and a data rollover scheme. You can also take advantage of a family mobile plan on Virgin Mobile and save a lot of money. Make sure to read our extensive Virgin Mobile Review to learn more about their coverage and SIM deals.