Nusrat Ghani, the Conservative MP for Sussex Weald, has welcomed the news that O2 has switched on its next generation 5G Standalone network across East Sussex, including in Hailsham, Heathfield and Crowborough.
Last year, 6 postcodes were upgraded, covering Hailsham, Lower Horsebridge, Broad Oak, and Rotherfield. A further 31 postcode areas being upgraded throughout this year, including Framfield, Halland, Ashurst Wood, Mayfield, Five Ashes, Heathfield, Horam, Cross In Hand, Hadlow Down, Frant, Wadhurst, Mark Cross and Crowborough.
These upgrades form part of Virgin Media O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, which will deliver another major upgrade to the company’s mobile network in 2026.
More than 830,000 residents in key East Sussex towns, will now benefit from the next-generation network, which delivers faster speeds, better reliability, helping to support customers living their everyday lives.
Unlike earlier versions of 5G, which relied on existing 4G technology, O2’s 5G+ service uses new infrastructure to deliver a stronger, more resilient mobile experience.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Fast, reliable connectivity is an absolute necessity for households, schools and businesses and is especially important in our rural communities. Poor connectivity has been one of the top issues for local residents for years and I have been relentless in my work to secure better provision and reliability of infrastructure throughout Sussex Weald. I’m pleased that many postcode areas including Hailsham, Heathfield and Crowborough have already benefited from upgrades made by O2 and that many more are due to be upgraded this year. This much needed investment and improvements will improve the quality of life for thousands of residents and mean that local customers can now enjoy improved coverage and faster speeds.”
