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Daily Record
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
O2 confirms exact date of mobile network switch off but is your town affected?
The company has also upgraded coverage to 13,000 Scottish postcodes in some of our most remote locations The majority of Brits who own a mobile phone will rarely have to worry about losing signal or service. Technology has advanced so much that these problems are now considered a thing of the past; a distant memory. However, the UK's four mobile operators are currently shutting down the country's ageing 3G networks, and Virgin Media O2 has today issued the exact dates its customers in several towns could be affected by the switch-off. As the entity behind O2's mobile network operations, Virgin Media O2 is alerting its user base that the 3G network will cease operation in Norwich, Telford, and Guildford on July 16, followed by Torquay on August 4. The move is "part of longer-term plans to deliver faster and more reliable 4G and 5G connectivity for customers." They added: "3G services in those areas will be switched off in the coming weeks, and those who currently don't have a 4G or 5G device must upgrade to a compatible handset to retain access to mobile data services," said Virgin Media O2. O2 confirmed to the Record that further details for locations in Scotland haven't been confirmed yet, but the company has upgraded 4G and 5G coverage to 13,000 Scottish postcodes in some of our most remote locations. The upgrades extend to popular tourist centres, with 782 upgraded postcodes in Edinburgh and major improvements in coverage across the Highlands. On top of this, O2 has recently installed small cells in Perth, as well as switching on its next-generation 5G standalone network in Stirling. O2 has recently brought reliable connectivity to many unique Scottish tourist destinations that previously had none. These include Corrour Station, the UK's highest and most remote railway stop, famously featured in Trainspotting. Barra Airport, the only airport in the world with a scheduled beach runway and tidal timetable, and Loch Ossian Eco Hostel and Glen Affric Hostel, reachable only by foot or bike, have also benefited north of the border. "Scotland has always been one of the most beautiful and remote destinations in the UK but now it's better connected than ever before," said Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2. "Thanks to O2's Mobile Transformation Plan, whether they're hiking the Highlands, flying into Barra, or visiting a rural island, visitors can stay connected when and where it matters most." In the meantime, while Norwich, Telford, Guildford, and Torquay are next in line for disruption, O2 anticipates a complete termination of its 3G network by year's end. The nationwide switch-off is due to 3G networks becoming outdated and less utilised than before. Most smartphones available in the UK now support 4G, and many are also 5G-ready. Consequently, the O2 3G switch-off is unlikely to impact you if your smartphone is 4G or 5G capable. However, if you possess an older smartphone or a more basic mobile phone, it might only connect to 3G networks. Once 3G is completely phased out, you won't be able to use mobile data services on your device, rendering apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google services inaccessible unless connected to Wi-Fi. "While the vast majority of customers will not need to take any action, the operator is directly contacting all customers across the UK who currently don't have a 4G or 5G device to provide support," Virgin Media O2 said. The company is offering "known vulnerable customers" a complimentary 4G device. Other customers lacking a 4G handset or SIM card will be presented with an option to purchase one "at a reduced price". "Customers can visit their local O2 store for further information and support, and they are also reminded they can use O2 Recycle to responsibly and sustainably dispose of their old handsets in exchange for cash," they added. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Thousands of Scots get major 5G & 4G upgrade – find out if you're eligible
Scroll down to find out how it will affect you STAY CONNECTED Thousands of Scots get major 5G & 4G upgrade – find out if you're eligible THOUSANDS of Scots are set to get a major upgrade to their 4G and 5G coverage. O2 is making huge improvements to its mobile network across Scotland. 1 O2 making huge improvements to its mobile network across Scotland Credit: Alamy Over the past year, the mobile giant has significantly bolstered network capacity in more than 13,000 Scottish postcodes, reaching into some of the UK's most secluded corners. This effort is part of O2's £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan for this year, designed to future-proof its network and meet surging customer demand. The plan also includes the rollout of small cells in dense urban areas, such as Perth, to increase capacity. And it will address persistent connectivity headaches along major transport routes, at airports, motorways, railway lines and within stadiums and arenas. The benefits extend far beyond city limits, reaching into popular tourist hubs. Some 782 postcodes have seen upgrades in Edinburgh and there have been significant improvements to coverage across the Highlands. There's also now more reliable connectivity in some unique tourist destinations in Scotland that previously had none at all. These include Corrour Station, the UK's highest and most remote railway stop, Barra Airport, the only airport in the world with a scheduled beach runway and tidal timetable, Loch Ossian Eco Hostel and Glen Affric Hostel, reachable only by foot or bike. It comes as new research commissioned by O2 found that 48% of Brits are planning a staycation in Scotland this summer. And while many are eager for "off-grid" adventures, they still value reliable mobile connectivity for navigation, finding local amenities, entertainment and personal safety. Android fans set to receive major upgrade to turbocharge Wi-Fi and 5G on their next phone Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering, at O2 said: 'Scotland has always been one of the most beautiful and remote destinations in the UK but now it's better connected than ever before. "Thanks to O2's Mobile Transformation Plan, whether they're hiking the Highlands, flying into Barra, or visiting a rural island, visitors can stay connected when and where it matters most.'
The Independent
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How groundbreaking gay author Edmund White paved the way for other writers
Andrew Sean Greer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, remembers the first time he read Edmund White. It was the summer of 1989, he was beginning his second year at Brown University and he had just come out. Having learned that White would be teaching at Brown, he found a copy of White's celebrated coming-of-age novel, 'A Boy's Own Story.' 'I'd never read anything like it — nobody had — and what strikes me looking back is the lack of shame or self-hatred or misery that imbued so many other gay male works of fiction of that time,' says Greer, whose 'Less' won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2018. "I, of course, did not know then I was reading a truly important literary work. All I knew is I wanted to read more. ' Reading was all we had in those days — the private, unshared experience that could help you explore your private life," he said. "Ed invented so many of us." White, a pioneer of contemporary gay literature, died this week at age 85. He left behind such widely read works as 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'The Beautiful Room Is Empty' and a gift to countless younger writers: Validation of their lives, the discovery of themselves through the stories of others. Greer and other authors speak of White's work as more than just an influence, but as a rite of passage: "How a queer man might begin to question all of the deeply held, deeply religious, deeply American assumptions about desire, love, and sex — who is entitled to have it, how it must be had, what it looks like,' says Robert Jones Jr., whose novel above love between two enslaved men, ' The Prophets,' was a National Book Award finalist in 2021. Jones remembers being a teenager in the 1980s when he read 'A Boy's Own Story." He found the book at a store in a gay neighborhood in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, 'the safest place for a person to be openly queer in New York City,' he said. 'It was a scary time for me because all the news stories about queer men revolved around AIDS and dying, and how the disease was the Christian god's vengeance against the 'sin of homosexuality,'' Jones added. 'It was the first time that I had come across any literature that confirmed that queer men have a childhood; that my own desires were not, in fact, some aberration, but were natural; and that any suffering and loneliness I was experiencing wasn't divine retribution, but was the intention of a human-made bigotry that could be, if I had the courage and the community, confronted and perhaps defeated," he said. Starting in the 1970s, White published more than 25 books, including novels, memoirs, plays, biographies and 'The Joy of Gay Sex,' a response to the 1970s bestseller 'The Joy of Sex." He held the rare stature for a living author of having a prize named for him, the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, as presented by the Publishing Triangle. 'White was very supportive of young writers, encouraging them to explore and expand new and individual visions,' said Carol Rosenfeld, chair of the Triangle. The award was 'one way of honoring that support.' Winners such the prize was founded, in 2006, have included 'The Prophets,' Myriam Gurba 's 'Dahlia Season' and Joe Okonkwo's 'Jazz Moon.' Earlier this year, the award was given to Jiaming Tang's ' Cinema Love,' a story of gay men in rural China. Tang remembered reading 'A Boy's Own Story' in his early 20s, and said that both the book and White were 'essential touchpoints in my gay coming-of-age.' 'He writes with intimate specificity and humor, and no other writer has captured the electric excitement and crushing loneliness that gay men experience as they come of age,' Tang said. "He's a towering figure. There'd be no gay literature in America without Edmund White.'
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Mobile network provider gives out free 5G boost just in time for major football clash – weeks after key service closure
Millions of users are set to benefit starting from this week 5-GEE! Mobile network provider gives out free 5G boost just in time for major football clash – weeks after key service closure Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOOTBALL fans using a major mobile network will notice a 5G speed boost this week. The free upgrade will benefit thousands of users this weekend - and millions more to come. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 New small cells have been placed around the area Credit: Virgin Media O2 O2 has announced that it has finally launched enhanced 5G connectivity in and around Wembley Stadium. Of course, the next big event to take place there is this weekend's FA Cup Final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City. More than 2.5million people are expected descend on the stadium this summer for a record number of events, including seven Oasis shows and Dua Lipa. The upgrade is made possible thanks to kit called 5G standalone, which is the fastest network technology available, meaning apps and videos will load much zippier with improved latency. When connected to 5G Standalone you essentially receive the truest form of 5G there is. Currently, most of the 5G you see is actually Non-Standalone, which is some 4G tech mixed in with 5G upgrades - and therefore connections aren't at their full speed potential. O2 says it has also deployed seven new small cells outside the Wembley Stadium and upgraded two masts in the area to make the speeds possible in such a busy network area, particularly during events. Virgin Media O2 is spending around £700million this year to future-proof its mobile network as it works to expand its 4G and 5G coverage. Part of the plan is to use more dedicated small cells to boost capacity in busy urban areas, as well as addressing persistent network pain points including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas. "Wembley is one of the UK's most iconic venues and this summer promises to be one of its biggest in living memory, from the FA Cup Final to the long-awaited return of Oasis," said Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2. O2's 3G Shutdown: Is Your Phone Ready? "Our investment in and around the stadium is designed to give a huge capacity boost to O2 customers attending these events, so they have the best possible experience." The move comes as O2 starts shutting down its old 3G network across the UK in favour of more faster 4G and 5G. 3G was switched off in the city of Durham first, in April. Norwich, Telford and Guildford will be the next UK locations to have O2 3G withdrawn on July 16. Torquay will follow on August 4.
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Mobile network provider gives out free 5G boost just in time for major football clash – weeks after key service closure
FOOTBALL fans using a major mobile network will notice a 5G speed boost this week. The free upgrade will benefit thousands of users this weekend - and millions more to come. Advertisement 1 New small cells have been placed around the area Credit: Virgin Media O2 O2 has announced that it has finally launched enhanced 5G connectivity in and around Wembley Stadium. Of course, the next big event to take place there is this weekend's FA Cup Final between More than 2.5million people are expected descend on the stadium this summer for a record number of events, including The upgrade is made possible thanks to kit called 5G standalone, which is the fastest network technology available, meaning apps and videos will load much zippier with improved latency. Advertisement Read more about Wembley When connected to 5G Standalone you essentially receive the truest form of 5G there is. Currently, most of the 5G you see is actually Non-Standalone, which is some 4G tech mixed in with 5G upgrades - and therefore connections aren't at their full speed potential. O2 says it has also deployed seven new small cells outside the Wembley Stadium and upgraded two masts in the area to make the speeds possible in such a busy network area, particularly during events. Advertisement Most read in Tech Part of the plan is to use more dedicated small cells to boost capacity in busy urban areas, as well as addressing persistent network pain points including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas. "Wembley is one of the UK's most iconic venues and this summer promises to be one of its biggest in living memory, from the FA Cup Final to the long-awaited return of Oasis," said Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2. O2's 3G Shutdown: Is Your Phone Ready? "Our investment in and around the stadium is designed to give a huge capacity boost to O2 customers attending these events, so they have the best possible experience." The move comes as O2 starts shutting down its old 3G network across the UK in favour of more faster 4G and 5G. Advertisement 3G was switched off Norwich, Telford and Guildford will be the next UK locations to have O2 3G withdrawn on July 16. Which mobile networks are affected by the 3G switch off? Mobile networks affected by O2's 3G switch off: -O2 - Tesco Mobile - Sky Mobile - GiffGaff Networks which have already switched off 3G : - Vodafone - Asda Mobile - Lebara - Talk Mobile - Voxi - EE - 1pMobile - Ecotalk - IQ Mobile - Lycamobile - Mozillion - RWG Mobile - Spusi - Talk Home - Utility Warehouse - Your Co-op - Three - iD Mobile, Smarty - Honest Mobile - Superdrug
