Virgin Media O2

❧

Wikipedia

VMED O2 UK Limited
Virgin Media O2
Company typeJoint venture
Industry
Founded1 June 2021; 4 years ago (2021-06-01)
HeadquartersReading, England
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Lutz Schüler (CEO)
Owners
Subsidiaries
Websitevirginmediao2.co.uk

VMED O2 UK Limited,[1] trading as Virgin Media O2, is a British mass media and telecommunications company based in Reading, England. The company was formed in June 2021 as a 50–50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica through the merger of their respective Virgin Media and O2 UK businesses.[2][3][4]

O2 UK is the largest mobile network in the United Kingdom by customer base, providing 5G, 4G, 3G (until late 2025), and 2G services, and Virgin Media is the main cable provider in the UK, providing cable (HFC) and fibre-to-the-premises broadband, cable television (Virgin TV), and cable landline services.

History

Origins

O2 and acquisition by Telefónica

O2 brand launch event on the River Thames in 2002

O2 UK was formed in 1983 as Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited,[5] a joint venture between British Telecom (BT) (60%) and Securicor (40%). In 1985, it launched Cellnet, which alongside Vodafone was one of the two original mobile networks in the UK. BT later acquired Securicor's share, and rebranded the network as BT Cellnet.[6] In 2001, British Telecom announced it would spin off its BT Wireless division, which included BT Cellnet, as mmO2 plc (later O2 plc), and introduced the O2 brand ahead of the demerger.[7] The demerger was completed later that year, and in 2002, BT Cellnet was rebranded O2.[8] O2 plc was acquired by Spanish telecoms firm Telefónica in 2006.

NTL:Telewest, Virgin Mobile and Virgin.net

NTL:Telewest logo

In March 2006, cable telecommunications firms NTL and Telewest merged, having been in discussions since 2003, forming NTL:Telewest. In 2004, NTL had acquired ADSL and dial-up provider Virgin.net.[9]

Virgin Media store in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in 2010

In April 2006, NTL:Telewest announced a £962 million offer to acquire Virgin Mobile UK, which Richard Branson largely accepted via a mix of cash and shares, becoming the largest shareholder with a 10.7% stake.[10] The acquisition was completed in June 2006, creating the UK's first "quadruple play" telecommunications company offering television, internet, landline, and mobile phone services.[11][12][13] Following the acquisition of Virgin Mobile, NTL:Telewest secured a 30-year licence from Branson's Virgin Group to use the Virgin brand.[10] Additionally, Virgin Enterprises Limited gained the right to nominate a board director.[14] In February 2007, NTL:Telewest was rebranded as Virgin Media.[15][16] In 2013, Virgin Media was acquired by John Malone's Liberty Global.[17]

Merger of Virgin Media and O2 UK

In May 2020, it was reported that Telefónica and Liberty Global were in talks to merge their respective O2 and Virgin Media businesses in the UK.[18]

The merger was completed on 1 June 2021, with Liberty Global and Telefónica each holding a 50% stake in Virgin Media O2, the new holding company for the businesses. This represented the largest ever UK telecoms deal, and the biggest UK merger in a decade.[19]

Post-merger

O2 store at The O2, London, with a Virgin Media retail presence

In October 2021, the company introduced a package of complimentary benefits known as 'Volt' for households with Virgin Media broadband who have at least one O2 Pay Monthly plan, applicable to both new and existing customers.[20][21][22] These include:

  • All eligible O2 Pay Monthly SIMs registered at the household receive double data on plans with a data allowance of up to 250GB. Plans with a data allowance above 250GB are upgraded to Unlimited.[23]
  • The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone bolt-on, providing inclusive roaming in 75 international destinations (including the 48 standard Europe Zone destinations, where inclusive data is limited to 25GB of each plan's monthly data allowance[24]) including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, is added to all eligible O2 Pay Monthly SIMs registered at the household.[25] Calls and texts to and from the UK and country in which the SIM is roaming, and data usage (except in the Europe Zone) are unlimited, subject to fair usage policies.
  • The household's Virgin Media broadband is automatically upgraded to the next available speed tier (e.g. 350Mbps to 500Mbps, or 500Mbps to 1Gbps) without downtime or an engineer visit.[26]
  • Households can claim up to three Wi-Fi extender pods for areas of the property with a weak Wi-Fi signal, free of charge.[26]

On 15 November 2021, Virgin Media O2 extended access to O2 Priority, providing exclusive perks, ticket presales, and experiences previously exclusive to O2 customers, to Virgin Media customers, allowing them full access to the O2 Priority app.[27]

On 24 July 2023, it was announced that Virgin Media O2 was cutting up to 2,000 members of staff by the end of 2023.[28]

In August 2023, the company announced that it had moved all Virgin Mobile UK customers to the O2 network. It had advised customers in January 2023 that they would be transferring. Virgin Mobile no longer offer new plans or services, but existing customers are still legally contracted under Virgin Mobile.[29]

In September 2023, it was announced Virgin Media O2 had acquired the UK-regional broadband business, Upp.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "VMED O2 UK Limited overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ↑ Harris, Jamie (1 June 2021). "Virgin Media O2 pledges to create 'unbeatable choice' as merged brand launches". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Warrington, James (1 June 2021). "Virgin Media O2 promises market shake-up after £31bn merger". City A.M. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "VMED O2 UK LIMITED – Overview (free company information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  5. ↑ "TELEFONICA UK LIMITED overview". Companies House. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "BBC News | The Company File | BT gobbles up Cellnet". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "BT unveils new mobile brand". 3 September 2001. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  8. ↑ "O2 prepares to hit the streets". 18 January 2002. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "NTL takes control of Virgin Net". 28 September 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  10. 1 2 Day, Julia (4 April 2006). "NTL agrees £962m Virgin Mobile deal". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  11. ↑ "Ntl Inc : NTL Completes Acquisition of Virgin Mobile". www.marketscreener.com. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "NTL Telewest completes merger with Virgin Mobile". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  13. ↑ citywire.com https://citywire.com/funds-insider/news/like-a-virgin-what-ntl-wants-to-be-after-1-7-billion-virgin-mobile-deal/a272773. Retrieved 25 July 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ www.sec.gov https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/containers/fix380/1481423/000119312512069962/R20.htm. Retrieved 25 July 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ Plunkett, John (8 November 2006). "NTL Telewest to become Virgin Media". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "Virgin Media roster completes brand rebirth". Design Week. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  17. ↑ Garside, Juliette (6 February 2013). "Virgin Media bought for £15bn by Liberty Global". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  18. ↑ Sweney, Mark (1 May 2020). "Virgin and O2 plan merger to challenge Sky and BT". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  19. ↑ "Virgin Media O2 launches with sights set on upgrading the UK | Virgin". Virgin.com. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "What is Volt? Everything you Need to Know". www.virginmedia.com. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  21. ↑ Jackson, Mark (18 October 2021). "New VOLT Benefits for Being Virgin Media and O2 UK Customers". ISPreview UK. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  22. ↑ admin@twk (18 October 2021). "VirginMedia O2 launch its first joint product, Volt". Liberty Global. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  23. ↑ "O2 Volt: everything you need to know". www.4g.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  24. ↑ "Roaming Fair Usage | Terms and Conditions | O2". www.o2.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  25. ↑ "O2 roaming explained for international & EU countries". CompareDial. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  26. 1 2 "How to get Volt benefits from Virgin Media O2 - Uswitch". Uswitch. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  27. ↑ Johns, Jemma (15 November 2021). "Virgin Media O2 welcomes Virgin Media cable customers to Priority". Virgin Media O2. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  28. ↑ Jackson, Mark (11 January 2023). "Virgin Media UK Confirm Aim to Switch Virgin Mobile Plans to O2". ISPreview UK. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "Virgin Mobile | Phone & SIM Deals - See What You Can Do". www.virginmedia.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  30. ↑ "VMO2 looks Upp with latest acquisition". Capacity Media. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.