UK mobile carrier Virgin Media O2 has launched 5G Standalone (5G SA) services in Bristol.

It means Bristol has become the latest city in the UK to get Virgin Media's 5G upgrade, as part of the telco's 5G+ service.

The deployment of 5G SA is part of Virgin Media O2's £700 million ($929.76m) Mobile Transformation Plan that was rolled out earlier this year.

According to the carrier, its 5G SA network is now available for up to 495,000 people in Bristol to use.

The launch of its 5G SA network in Bristol follows its rollout in Northern Ireland last month. Virgin Media O2 also deployed 5G SA in Wales in May 2026, with the carrier stating at the time that its 5G SA network covers 90 percent of the UK's population.

Virgin Media O2 launched its 5G SA network in February 2024. The telco's 5G+ network is not reliant on older mobile generations such as 4G - it solely uses a 5G core network - and is based on the cloud.

The service increases network capacity, cuts latency, and can connect to an increased number of connected devices.

“Reliable connectivity is increasingly essential to how people live, work and do business, which is why we’re continuing to invest in strengthening our network in the city. This rollout is part of our £700 million ($929.76m) Mobile Transformation Plan and brings 5G+ to more customers across Bristol," said Professor Robert Joyce, director of mobile access engineering at O2.