Samsung and Virgin Media O2 announce 4G and 5G trials in the UK

Samsung and Virgin Media O2 have joined forces to conduct 4G and 5G trials in the UK. The goal is to verify the capability of Samsung's network solutions and interoperability with Virgin Media O2's legacy networks. The tests will involve Samsung's advanced solutions such as its baseband unit, 5G Massive MIMO radios, and 4G radios on low-band and mid-band spectrums.

Samsung's newest networking solutions provide a wide range of benefits. Its baseband unit has industry-leading capacity and throughput, while its 5G Massive MIMO radios are packed in a lightweight design to ensure easy installation.

Virgin Media O2 hopes for these initial trials with Samsung to help the company deliver the best possible 5G experience while boosting its 4G network.

Meanwhile, the government is investing £250 million “to put the UK at the forefront of 5G innovation,” and is supporting this new initiative by Virgin Media O2 and Samsung, said Julia Lopez, Minister for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure.

Virgin Media O2 is a joint venture between Telefónica and Liberty Global. It was launched in the UK in June, and now serves 47 million connections across broadband, mobile, TV, and other sectors.

Earlier this year, Samsung became the leading Open RAN vendor for Vodafone UK. Meanwhile, customers in the UK have had a chance to test Samsung's 5G environment since last year at Samsung KX, where the company's been demonstrating its latest 5G technologies through the so-called 5G Bus.

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

General 5G UK