UK mobile network operator O2 has announced it is giving all its Pay Monthly customers access to a more advanced level of 5G connectivity, so long as they have a compatible smartphone.

The firm is in the process of upgrading its national network with 5G standalone (which it brands as 5G+), a form of 5G signal that does not rely on older 4G infrastructure, and is therefore said to provide faster, more reliable connections.

O2 also claims customers could see improved battery life as phones won’t need to connect to 4G and 5G networks simultaneously, with 5G+ speeds promised to be “around 50 percent faster” than 4G.

O2 said 5G+ is now available in more than 700 towns and cities across the country, and any of its Pay Monthly customers are now receiving this upgrade at no extra cost to their existing bills.

In order to take advantage of this free perk, you must own a phone that is 5G+ compatible. Luckily, the list of these devices is quite long, with all iPhones released since 2024’s iPhone 15 able to connect to 5G+ signals.

The majority of popular Samsung Galaxy phones dating back as far as 2021 are also compatible, as are Google Pixel phones from the last two years.

“Our 5G+ service is now available to millions of customers across the UK, and uniquely, it’s available to everyone on O2 across all Plans – unlike other networks,” said Christian Hindennach, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2.

“The upgrade boosts performance in busy areas, including major venues that host big crowds, benefiting both residents and visitors, and is another example of Virgin Media O2’s commitment to enhancing our network and delivering a more reliable experience.”

Rival EE offers 5G standalone but only for customers on certain premium-priced pay monthly tariffs.

To see if your area has O2 5G+, you can use this online coverage checker.

But O2 said even if you own a 5G+ phone, you must also have a compatible SIM card, which it says in order to work properly with this new technology must either have been purchased since 2024, if a physical SIM card, or be an eSIM.

“Older SIM cards, including those issued before 2024, were only designed to support earlier generations of mobile technology,” an O2 spokesperson told Express.co.uk.

“To access newer capabilities like 5G+, customers need a newer R15 SIM, which includes updated features that enable the network and device to use 5G Standalone services. O2 began issuing those to all new customers from 2024 onwards, and any customer who wants can upgrade to one now free of charge if they want 5G+.”

O2 said if you need to update your SIM to access 5G+, you are able to do so at no extra cost via the firm’s website.

eSIM is a relatively new technology that allows phones to register virtual SIMs, rather than needing the traditional plastic card inserted into devices.

The campaign to push customers to eSIM is partly to help customers gain access to beneficial new technologies such as 5G+, but it could also be pre-empting all smartphones eventually exclusively using eSIM.

All iPhones sold in the US are now eSIM-only, meaning they lack physical SIM card slots, a move not yet made in the UK, but one that might not be far off. The iPhone Air released in September 2025 is an eSIM-only phone, even on these shores.

eSIMs can be swapped electronically between devices, but customers lose the flexibility of popping out a physical SIM card to switch to a new phone.