O2 has announced 5G in 40 more locations bringing the total of covered locations to 60. It had originally targeted 50 locations by summer 2020.

That's quite an extension of the company's previous total, which stood at 20 at the start of the year, although O2 still lags behind EE and Three in terms of the number of places covered. The simple numbers aren't the full picture though, because the covered mileage does vary wildly. 

Like Three, O2 doesn't charge a premium for 5G connectivity though of course, you will need a 5G-enabled phone. And O2's 5G includes its Limitless tariff, too, with unlimited data browsing, as well its existing custom plans.

O2 says it is working with Ericsson and Nokia on 5G equipment, though like everybody has some Huawei equipment in its network.

O2 5G is now live in the following places: Aberdeen, Ashford, Banstead, Basildon, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Chatham, Chesterfield, Coventry, Dartford, Derby, Dundee, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Esher, Gateshead, Gillingham, Glasgow, Grays, Hemel Hempstead, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Lowestoft, Luton, Manchester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newtownabbey, North Shields, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Rainham, Redhill, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, South Shields, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunbury, Sunderland, Thundersley, Warrington, Weybridge, Windsor, Worthing and York.

Interestingly, O2 has also announced its rollout of the 4G-based LTE-M technology, a first for the UK which is quite a big deal for O2 itself. Three has also experimented with the tech. 

It's not really for consumer devices though - instead it'll be used for things like remote meter readings, tracking a shipment or free-space reporting in a car park. 

Last month, O2 and Virgin Media confirmed their intention to merge and form a sizeable rival to BT/EE.