O2 Business has introduced O2 Satellite for Business, a direct-to-device satellite service aimed at closing the connectivity gap for rural UK companies. The launch extends O2's UK landmass coverage from 89 to 95 per cent and comes less than seven months after O2 launched its consumer satellite service.

Detailed in the announcement, O2 said the service is the first in the UK dedicated to business customers, working on compatible smartphones without additional hardware or apps. It supports messaging, maps, weather and location sharing through apps including WhatsApp, Google Maps and BBC Weather.

The structural driver behind the launch is the coverage gap facing rural business premises, with O2 noting that one in five of England's more than 526,000 registered businesses are based in rural areas beyond the reach of traditional mobile networks.

"Businesses increasingly rely on always-on connectivity, but work doesn't stop where mobile coverage ends. That's why we're bringing direct-to-device satellite connectivity to our business customers, becoming the first UK business mobile network to do so," said Jo Bertram, CEO of O2 Business.

"O2 Satellite for Business extends connectivity beyond the reach of traditional mobile networks, helping organisations stay connected in more places through the smartphones they already use every day," Bertram added. O2 said the technology was already tested during a recent wildfire in Derbyshire, where it supplied 100 satellite-enabled phones to Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service to help crews stay in contact in an area without mobile coverage.

The service is included at no extra cost with O2 Business Ultimate plans, while customers on Plus plans can add it for £2.50 (plus VAT) per month on a 30-day rolling basis. O2 is part of Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint venture between Spain's Telefónica and US-listed Liberty Global, which reported group revenue of around £10.1 billion (approximately €12 billion) in 2025.

The launch follows O2's earlier partnership with Starlink, the low-earth-orbit satellite operator owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which Virgin Media O2 uses to expand rural network coverage across the UK.

For the sector, the launch reflects growing pressure on UK mobile operators to close rural connectivity gaps for business customers, using direct-to-device satellite technology as a low-cost extension of existing networks rather than a separate hardware investment.

Source: Data Center Dynamics / Telefónica / Statista