Quick Read
- Virgin Media O2 announced on February 4, 2026, a partnership with Zinkworks to deploy AI monitoring tools in its mobile network.
- The AI aims to predict and prevent network issues, reducing downtime and engineer visits, building on successful fixed broadband implementation.
- Virgin Media O2 is reportedly nearing a £2 billion acquisition of broadband provider Netomnia, aiming to expand its fiber network to 8 million homes.
- This acquisition would significantly increase VMO2’s customer reach to 20 million homes, challenging BT’s market leadership.
- VMO2 is also exploring satellite services, including an O2 Satellite partnership with Starlink, to extend connectivity to remote areas.
LONDON (Azat TV) – Virgin Media O2 is undertaking significant strategic initiatives to enhance its network reliability and expand its market footprint across the UK. The telecommunications giant announced on February 4, 2026, the deployment of advanced artificial intelligence monitoring tools within its mobile network, aimed at predicting and preventing service disruptions. Concurrently, reports indicate that Virgin Media O2 is close to finalizing a substantial £2 billion acquisition of the broadband network provider Netomnia, a move poised to intensify its competition with market leader BT.
These twin strategies underscore Virgin Media O2’s aggressive push to improve customer experience and gain a stronger foothold in the fiercely competitive UK telecommunications landscape, addressing both mobile service consistency and broadband market share.
AI-Powered Network Reliability for Mobile Customers
Virgin Media O2 has officially extended its partnership with Zinkworks, a move that will integrate sophisticated AI monitoring across its mobile network. This builds on two years of successful implementation in its fixed broadband network, where similar technology reduced repair times by over a third and cut the need for engineer visits by 12%. The expansion targets key parts of the mobile infrastructure, including radio access, core systems, and network operations.
The AI tools are designed to monitor network performance in real-time, identify patterns, and proactively detect and resolve issues before they escalate into service problems. This intelligent automation, leveraging the core Google Cloud platform and features like Gemini and Vertex AI, is expected to enhance performance during peak demand, minimize downtime, and reduce the impact on customers, according to a company announcement. Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, stated, “Greater automation will help us predict and prevent issues and allow us to better spot and fix problems when they arise, reducing downtime and ensuring customers can trust us to deliver the dependable mobile experience they rely on.” Paul Madden, Chief Executive Officer of Zinkworks, highlighted Virgin Media O2’s position at the forefront of harnessing AI at scale in the mobile operator sector.
Strategic Acquisition of Netomnia Targets Broadband Growth
In a parallel development, Virgin Media O2 is reportedly nearing a £2 billion deal to acquire Netomnia, a significant alternative broadband network provider. The Financial Times reported that Telefónica and Liberty Global, joint owners of Virgin Media O2, alongside private equity firm InfraVia Capital, are close to finalizing this acquisition. The deal is expected to be announced later this week.
This strategic acquisition aims to substantially increase Virgin Media O2’s customer base and network scale, narrowing the gap with BT’s Openreach, the current market leader. Netomnia, founded in 2019, had merged with Brsk in 2024 and currently covers 3 million homes. Integrating Netomnia’s network would expand Virgin Media O2’s combined fiber network footprint to approximately 8 million homes, and its potential customer reach to about 20 million homes nationwide, positioning it as a stronger challenger to BT’s dominant 30 million coverage.
The move comes amidst a period of consolidation in the UK’s fiber market, with several smaller altnets facing financial pressures and struggling to retain customer bases. Virgin Media O2 itself reported continued losses in fixed and mobile customers in its third-quarter results, making this acquisition a critical step to bolster its competitive standing and address customer churn.
Broader Vision: Satellite and Network Evolution
Beyond these immediate actions, Virgin Media O2 is also exploring further innovations to build a more resilient and extensive network. The company’s mobile transformation strategy includes investigating the role of satellite services for mobile backhaul and direct-to-device connectivity. This encompasses its UK-first partnership with Starlink, branded O2 Satellite, designed to deliver Direct to Cell services to remote areas and eliminate mobile not-spots.
Professor Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at VMO2, confirmed that these initiatives are part of the company’s broader efforts to evolve towards more autonomous network operations, ensuring greater resilience and performance as customer demand continues to grow across the UK. The integration of AI, strategic acquisitions, and cutting-edge satellite technology collectively represents Virgin Media O2’s commitment to transforming its service delivery.
These significant investments in AI-driven network optimization and a major broadband acquisition signal Virgin Media O2’s intent to aggressively compete in the UK telecommunications market, directly addressing challenges in network reliability and market share, and positioning the company for long-term growth amidst an evolving industry landscape.