O2 launches the UK’s first mobile satellite service

Virgin Media/O2 brings mobile satellite communications to the UK. The mobile network announced O2 Satellite this week: the first service of its kind which it says will increase its UK coverage from 89% to 95%.

Created in partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, O2 Satellite will enable access to text, messaging services such as WhatsApp and weather/location-based services such as Google Maps over the mobile blackspot network – which covered around 8% of the UK’s land area by 2022, according to Ofcom.

The service, which was launched on Thursday 26 February, is expensive £3 a month to use. Existing O2 Pay Monthly customers can add O2 Satellite as a Bolt-on to their current plan; O2 says that in future, the service will be available at no extra cost to customers on the Ultimate Plan.

Virgin Media/O2 says compatible handsets – namely, Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones – will automatically switch from the terrestrial to the satellite mobile network when the signal drops.

To that end, O2 Satellite can also act as a backup when the signal fails for reasons other than entering a known “dark spot” – such as a temporary power outage or other technical failure.

The complete list of compatible phones is very short, but it is as follows:

O2 hasn’t been clear on when we can expect more phones to gain compatibility, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus could tick that box.

According to Virgin Media/O2’s press release, O2 Satellite will open up a coverage area about “two-thirds the size of Wales”. The network promises that many features (except texts, messages and location/weather services) will be available in time.

Here are the currently supported apps:

• AccuWeather
• AllTrails
• BBC Weather
• Facebook Messenger
• Google Find Hub
• Google Maps
• Google Messages
• Google Personal Safety
• Samsung Weather
• WhatsApp
• X
• Yahoo Mail

More apps are coming soon, though again, O2 hasn’t been specific. A full complement of social media apps would be a good start – as would a wide selection of fitness tracking apps.

It is also important to note that calls to emergency services are not currently supported by O2 Satellitewhich unfortunately puts paid to any preconceptions you may have had about the safety benefits of the new technology.

Either way, this is a huge step forward for UK mobile network coverage, and I’ll be very interested to see if it has an impact on our 2026 edition of the Mobile Reviews Professional Awards.

You can find out more about O2 Satellite via the O2 website.

Written by

Is Georgiadis

Managing Editor

As of 2018, Will has been a professional review engine. From Sub-Editor to Managing Editor (with a few gaps in between) his knowledge of the industry and website he calls home is second to none. With a library of detailed monitoring and PC reviews behind him and thousands of edits, micro-edits and triple checks behind him, Will is now responsible for setting the commercial and editorial direction of Professional Reviews – making sure he helps his readers as much as possible in an ever-changing environment.

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