Virgin Media O2’s investment to boost Scottish connectivity welcomed by the First Minister

• On a visit to Virgin Media O2’s new Maxim Park office, the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney, has welcomed the operator’s major investment to improve connectivity across Scotland
• Recent upgrades mean Virgin Media O2 now provides 5G coverage to more than 50% of Scotland’s population and has switched on its next generation 5G Standalone network in 54 Scottish towns and cities
• Following a further £330m of investment, the operator’s gigabit broadband network has now been expanded to more than 1.5m Scottish homes and businesses, officially making it Scotland’s largest gigabit provider.
• A new partnership between Virgin Media O2, the Scottish Government and Citizens Advice is providing 1,200 refurbished smartphones to people across Scotland that cannot afford devices or data

Virgin Media O2 has announced it has made a major investment to enhance digital connectivity across Scotland, as the company welcomes First Minister John Swinney to its new Maxim Park office.

The investment forms part of Virgin Media O2’s ongoing commitment to improving Scotland’s digital infrastructure, ensuring more people and communities can benefit from reliable, high-speed connectivity.

Virgin Media O2’s 5G network now covers more than 50% of the Scottish population, with its next generation 5G Standalone network recently switched on in 54 towns and cities across the country. The operator has also upgraded its mobile network in more than 28,000 Scottish postcodes this year alone, enhancing mobile reliability and performance for consumers and businesses alike.

These upgrades are part of O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan, which will see the operator invest approximately £700m this year to future-proof its mobile network.

The operator has also invested more than £330m to further upgrade and expand its ultrafast broadband network, which has now been expanded to more than 1.5 million Scottish homes and businesses and 50% of the population, officially making it Scotland’s largest gigabit provider. This milestone underlines the company’s commitment to supporting Scotland’s digital economy.

In a new initiative designed to help tackle digital poverty, Virgin Media O2 has partnered with the Scottish Government and Citizens Advice to provide 1,200 refurbished smartphones to people who cannot afford devices or data. The initiative builds on our work to donate 12,000 devices from our supply chain in 2025 and is delivered via our Community Calling Partnership with environmental charity Hubbub and the National Databank, founded by Virgin Media O2 and the Good Things Foundation, which has already connected 10,000 digitally excluded people across Scotland by providing free mobile data to those in need.

Last week, Virgin Media O2 announced that it was working with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) and the humanitarian tech non-profit Jangala to bring free Wi-Fi connectivity to mobile library services across Scotland. This first-of-its-kind UK pilot will see mobile library vehicles in rural locations equipped with Jangala’s ‘Big Box’ technology, powered by O2 mobile data donated by Virgin Media O2, that will provide a WiFi connection for residents.

Virgin Media O2’s new Maxim Park office is based in Lanarkshire and home to 350 employees across areas of the business including network expansion, technology and operations.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Digital connectivity is central to how we live, work, and learn. It supports our public services, enables economic growth, and connects people and businesses throughout Scotland – something that is particularly important for our rural and island communities.

“Delivering better connectivity across the country requires collaboration, and Virgin Media O2 is a valued partner in that work: from investment in fibre and creating new mobile infrastructure, to supporting digital inclusion and our Connecting Scotland programme. I very much welcome the company’s ongoing commitment to Scotland and the invitation to visit its new Scottish headquarters at Maxim Park.”  

Julie Agnew, Managing Director of Fixed Wholesale & Customer Delivery at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re proud to be investing to boost connectivity across Scotland. From rolling out our 5G Standalone network to expanding gigabit broadband, we’re building the digital foundations that will support Scotland’s growth for years to come. Alongside this investment, initiatives like the National Databank and our device donation partnerships will ensure that nobody is left behind.”