Mobile operator O2 says it has improved 4G and 5G network coverage for its customers across close to 600 miles of motorways and A roads across the UK in a move the firm says is designed to address “signal anxiety”.

O2 parent company Virgin Media O2 said the extensive improvements cover major motorways including the M1, M4, M6 and M25, adding that the upgrades “will help support EV vehicle adoption, giving drivers the connectivity they need to access public chargers”.

4G boosts were said to have been implemented for 311 cell sites on top of 338 “brand-new” 5G builds, which would improve network performance and reliability for mobile devices for road users.

That means you might notice better signals when using your smartphone on the road for GPS navigation, music or hands-free calls when driving on the affected roads nationwide.

590 miles of roads have seen boosts to the reliability of O2’s 4G and 5G networks as the mobile provider is the last in the UK to shut down its ageing 3G network, which it will do by the end of 2025. Rivals EE and VodafoneThree have completed their switch offs, with all providers pushing any customers not on 4G and 5G contracts and devices to adopt the technologies.

This usually involves customers upgrading to a smartphone if they did not already have one. Although the UK’s networks have kept older 2G networks switched on for voice calls and texts, meaning older mobile phones without 4G or 5G can at least make calls, this is now a backup network, with newer devices able to send voice calls over faster 4G and 5G networks, which results in better call quality.

In a press release, Virgin Media O2 said it had poll data that shows electric vehicle (EV) drivers see so-called “signal anxiety” as their top fear when on the road as opposed to the “range anxiety” experienced by non-EV drivers.

“More than three-quarters of EV drivers (76 percent) worry about losing mobile connectivity, which would cut them off from maps, charger updates and location information, and even the ability to pay – higher than the 68 percent who cite range anxiety,” Virgin Media O2 said.

The firm also stated that Liberty Global-backed EV charge point operator Believ will install up to 30,000 public charging points across the UK. Virgin Media O2 is a joint venture owned equally by Liberty Global and Telefónica after the two firms merged in 2021.

“Connectivity underpins a huge part of the driving experience today, but particularly for EVs,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2. “By optimising coverage on more than 40 motorways and A roads as part of our £700 million investment in our Mobile Transformation Plan, we’re helping make every journey safer and more reliable.”