By Daniel Okafor, Telecom Gazette

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) is reviewing its radio access network supplier base ahead of the next phase of its United Kingdom 5G rollout, Light Reading reported.

The development marks an early procurement step rather than a contract award. RAN reviews precede the equipment agreements that govern base stations, antennas, radio units and the controllers connecting mobile devices to an operator's core network. Decisions made in such reviews bind spending and site economics for a seven-to-ten-year horizon.

What does a RAN supplier review cover?

The review spans the radio layer of the mobile network. It covers macro and small-cell base stations, rooftop and tower-mounted antenna systems, and the baseband units handling signal processing across the operator's coverage footprint. Vendors supply the hardware, the software stacks running on that hardware, and the support services keeping the network operational.

A RAN review typically evaluates radio output, energy consumption per site, software cadence, multi-vendor interoperability, and total cost across the contract window. Operators across Europe have moved toward software-defined and Open RAN architectures in recent procurement rounds. That shift expands the supplier field and reshapes the commercial advantage held by incumbents.

Who is VMO2?

VMO2 formed in June 2021 through the combination of Virgin Media and Telefónica's O2 UK business. Liberty Global and Telefónica own the venture in equal shares under the Virgin Media O2 brand. The operator delivers fixed broadband, pay television, landline and mobile services to UK consumers and businesses across the four nations.

The mobile business carries millions of active connections across consumer and enterprise segments. VMO2 has invested in 5G coverage since launch and continues to densify its network footprint in urban and suburban markets across the country.

What regulatory framework applies?

Parliament passed the Telecoms Security Act in 2021; the act binds UK operators and their suppliers to security duties while giving ministers power to set binding technical requirements on telecoms infrastructure serving British subscribers across the country.

In 2020, government policy restricted high-risk vendor use in sensitive network functions. That framework has shaped every UK RAN procurement since. Operators must show diversification strategies and risk mitigation plans alongside major vendor decisions.

Ofcom tracks 5G coverage obligations attached to spectrum licences. Those obligations influence timing and scope of RAN refresh cycles across the mobile network operators of the UK market.

What changes for practitioners?

A RAN review carries operational consequences for vendor partners and system integrators. Contract awards can consolidate or fragment the supplier base across radio and core domains. Site engineering crews, network operations centres and field maintenance contracts all follow the equipment decision.

RAN procurement reviews typically run six to twelve months in UK mobile network procurement. Bid preparation, technical evaluation, commercial negotiation and contractual finalisation fill that window. Award decisions can trigger transition services agreements lasting twelve to twenty-four months as networks migrate vendor by vendor and region by region.

What is the 5G architecture context?

UK operators launched commercial 5G in 2019 using non-standalone architecture, which anchors 5G radio capacity to a 4G evolved packet core and limits certain advanced capabilities operators plan to monetise.

Standalone 5G, built on a dedicated 5G core, remains limited in the UK market. SA enables network slicing, lower latency and improved device density at the cell edge. RAN refresh decisions often account for SA readiness, including software roadmaps and radio hardware capability for the next decade.

What remains undisclosed?

Shortlisted vendors remain unnamed in public reporting. Contract value, signing date and award timeline remain undisclosed. Light Reading broke the story; further details should emerge as the procurement process advances through 2025 and into 2026.