Virgin Media O2 to cut thousands of jobs in cost plan

Virgin Media O2 is planning to cut thousands of UK jobs as part of an 800 million pound cost cutting plan. The Guardian, the Swindon Advertiser, the Bury Times, and the Somerset County Gazette all reported the job cuts on November 3, 2026. The Guardian added that the telecommunications group is implementing the savings drive to tackle its 22 billion pound debt pile. [1][2][3][4]

The Guardian reported that 300 million pounds of the savings target will come from job cuts that will reduce the wage bill by 30 percent over the next two years. The company did not state an exact number of job losses, but the reductions could impact up to 25 percent of its 16,000 workforce. The company also plans to increase its use of artificial intelligence in areas such as customer service. [1]

Virgin Media O2 is a British mass media and telecommunications company based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The company was formed in June 2021 as a 50-50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefonica following the merger of their Virgin Media and O2 UK businesses. It employs approximately 16,000 people and maintains 384 retail stores across the United Kingdom. [1][5][6]

The business serves a wide customer base across the United Kingdom. As of the third quarter of 2025, it maintained roughly 5.8 million fixed-line customer relationships, which included 5.7 million broadband connections, alongside 46.6 million mobile connections. [6]