O2 boosts mobile connectivity across Westminster with small cell deployment

• O2 customers in Westminster are set to benefit from improved mobile connectivity as 24 new small cells are deployed across the borough 

• The compact mobile units have been installed in the area to boost capacity and improve the customer experience  

• The rollout forms part of O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, which is increasing capacity, reliability and coverage across the UK 

O2 customers in Westminster are set to benefit from improved mobile connectivity following the operator’s deployment of 24 new small cells across one of London’s busiest boroughs. 

Installed in high-demand locations, the compact mobile units will boost capacity and make it easier for customers to make calls, send messages and use mobile data in busy parts of Westminster. The upgrade will support residents, businesses, commuters, tourists and visitors across one of the capital’s most popular and congested areas. 

Small cells are discreet mobile units that can be installed on existing street furniture such as lamp posts, making them well-suited to Westminster, where conservation protections and additional planning controls can make larger infrastructure more difficult to deploy. By adding targeted capacity at street level, they help ease pressure on the wider network and improve connectivity in busy public spaces, from city centres and transport hubs to commercial districts and visitor hotspots. 

The Westminster deployment builds on O2’s wider small cells programme, with the operator now having the largest number of small cells of any UK mobile network operator, with more than 2,500 sites live nationwide, including in Bath, Plymouth, Bristol, Swansea and Guildford. 

Professor Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said: “Westminster is one of the busiest places in the country, so it is no surprise that mobile demand is extremely high. These small cells are a simple but effective way to add extra capacity exactly where people need it, helping customers stay connected on some of the capital’s busiest streets. 

“This is about making sure the network keeps pace with how people use their phones every day and is exactly the kind of targeted upgrade our £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan is designed to deliver.” 

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