Virgin Media O2 & Ontix launch Birmingham's first small cells, elevating mobile connectivity

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 41 seconds

Growth

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Quick Read: Virgin Media O2 and Ontix inaugurate Birmingham's maiden small cell deployment, amplifying 4G network capacity across key city zones, marking a significant stride in enhancing mobile connectivity for residents and businesses.

Birmingham's mobile landscape takes a significant leap forward as Virgin Media O2, in partnership with Ontix, activates its initial small cell installations across key sites in the city. This milestone marks a strategic move to bolster 4G network capacity, greatly enhancing the mobile experience for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

The deployment kickstarts an expansion initiative by Virgin Media O2, targeting high-demand regions to improve network capability and elevate customer satisfaction. The first wave of live small cells at Bath Row and Islington Row caters to the bustling Five Ways station, welcoming over a million yearly commuters, and enhances connectivity for attendees frequenting the vibrant Edgbaston Village markets and events.

With a roadmap outlining further deployments, the network boost will extend to pivotal areas such as the bustling Broad Street, attracting 23 million annual visitors, and the commercial hub along Snow Hill Queensway, ensuring an enriched mobile experience for Virgin Media O2 customers.

The collaboration between Virgin Media O2 and Ontix signifies a cost-effective approach to amplifying capacity in densely populated urban zones, mirroring their successful ventures in London, the South East, and more recently, Skegness. This rapid progress owes thanks to the support of Birmingham City Council and WM5G, allowing Ontix to leverage an Open Access Agreement to deploy small cells across 90,000 streetlights citywide, strategically elevating network performance for residents, tourists, and enterprises.

Richard Williams, Ontix's Director of Acquisition, expressed pride in pioneering this digital infrastructure investment in Birmingham, emphasizing its significance for the region's technological advancement. The collaboration, supported by local entities, reflects a commitment to an enhanced mobile landscape benefitting the city's businesses and residents.

Paul Kells, Senior Director for Network Strategy & Engineering at Virgin Media O2, emphasised their commitment to ensuring top-notch network experiences for their customers across the nation. This deployment forms a part of their broader network enhancement efforts, aiming to offer exceptional connectivity even during peak times.

Councillor Saima Suleman, Cabinet Member for Digital, Culture, Heritage, and Tourism at Birmingham City Council, welcomed this investment, highlighting its potential to significantly improve mobile experiences, supporting local businesses, and aligning with the city's digital aspirations.

Rhys Enfield, Director of Infrastructure Acceleration at WM5G, emphasised the critical role of small cells in providing robust mobile networks, attributing the rapid deployment to the Open Access Agreements. These agreements expedited the process, resulting in a swift transition to operational small cells, benefiting the city's connectivity landscape.

What's new

West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator Unlocks Nearly £50M in Private Investment

The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), led by the University of Birmingham, has generated an impressive £49.4 million in private co-investment within its first two years, significantly surpassing its original £14.5 million public funding allocation.

Funded through the Innovation Accelerator programme, coordinated by Innovate UK, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation, WMHTIA has become a leading force in advancing health technology innovation across the region.

The majority of the private investment—£36.3 million—was directly committed by investors to enterprises supported by the Accelerator. This achievement represents a threefold return on the initial public investment, demonstrating the strong investor confidence in the region’s health tech sector.

Powering Health Innovation Through Collaboration

The WMHTIA brings together 21 partners from academia, industry, and the NHS to help healthtech companies develop, validate, and commercialise cutting-edge medical technologies. So far, companies supported through the programme have also secured an additional £10 million in national public grants from agencies including NIHR, Eureka, and Innovate UK.

Including both public and private contributions, the total investment leveraged by WMHTIA now stands at £67.3 million.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham:

We’re proud to support startups through the riskiest stages of innovation so more life-saving technologies reach patients. This exceptional investment proves what’s possible when academia, the NHS, and industry work together to drive economic growth and better health outcomes.

In March 2025, the Innovation Accelerator programme was extended with a further £30 million, including £4 million for the WMHTIA to continue supporting the region’s innovators in 2025/26.

Backing the Future of Health Tech

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands:

The West Midlands is leading medical tech innovation—from faster diagnoses to shorter hospital stays. Healthtech isn’t just improving lives; it’s creating secure, high-value jobs that drive inclusive growth.

Dean Cook, Executive Director of Place and Global, Innovate UK:

This programme shows how place-based innovation can unlock greater business investment in R&D. By connecting the region’s strengths, we’re creating high-value jobs and building globally significant innovation capability.

The WMHTIA continues to strengthen the region’s reputation as a national hub for health technology, with far-reaching benefits for patient care, job creation, and regional economic development.

By Anushka Malhotra

24 Jun