Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has activated the UK’s first satellite-to-mobile service in a bid to help boost phone coverage across the country.
Powered by Starlink’s Direct to Cell, the new O2 Satellite service will allow users to stay connected in areas without traditional mobile coverage, known as “non-spots”, often in rural or isolated areas.
Originally announced in October 2025, the launch is the first in the UK and Europe and increases Virgin Media O2’s UK territory coverage from 89% to 95%, equivalent to an area approximately two-thirds the size of Wales.
Satellite O2
The service uses Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide direct connectivity to mobile devices using O2’s licensed mobile spectrum transmitted from space.
Initially, it will support not only text messaging, but also mobile data across a number of popular apps including WhatsApp, Messenger, Google Maps, AccuWeather and BBC Weather – again seeking to help people living in remote areas, anyone traveling or even those taking part in activities such as hiking, climbing, water sports and sailing.
O2 Satellite will initially be available as a £3 per month add-on, with VMO2 soon including it for all Ultimate Plan customers at no extra cost. However, it will initially only be available to customers with some of Samsung’s latest smartphones (namely the Samsung Galaxy S25, Samsung Galaxy S25+, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge) – although VMO2 says support for other devices, manufacturers and apps will be introduced soon.
“This is a defining moment for mobile connectivity in the UK and a declaration of our intention to continue to innovate and ensure our customers can stay connected wherever they are,” said Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media O2.
“By launching O2 Satellite, we became the first operator in Europe to launch a spatial mobile data service which, overnight, brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time.
“We already have the UK’s largest 5G+ footprint and we’re not standing still, investing heavily this year in our mobile network to give O2 customers a brilliant, reliable service they can rely on.”
This news follows VodafoneThree’s recent commitment to increase UK network coverage by eliminating a further 16,500 km2 of ‘non-spots’ in the UK through the deployment of Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology to more than 8,000 sites across the country.
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