After its previous announcement that it had over 100 locations enabled for 5G just before the launch of iPhone 12, O2 UK has now raised this number to 150 ahead of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 later today. 

That's up there with the most amounts from other networks, better than some - EE now stands at 125 - but Three still has slightly more 5G locations at 154. The word 'location' needs to be taken with a little liberty since the areas covered are fairly limited at present. 

O2’s 5G network is now live in new locations like Cheltenham, Doncaster and Southampton. It's also increasing its 5G footprint in larger cities such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester. 

• What is 5G, how fast is it and how can I get it?

Rollout from all the networks grew in 2020 but still at a slower rate than any of them had planned owing to the current predicament we all find ourselves in. 2021 is already seeing networks bolster their 5G networks and offer many more 5G devices - O2's roster now boasts over 30 5G handsets. 

O2 recently pledged an extra 40GB of data for homeschooling families. It's also involved in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's 5G Create programme where it's working on a test project improving the fan experience at the O2 Arena.

Called O2 Project Vista, the idea is to explore how 5G can be used in an area or stadium to provide instant, multi-angle replays via smartphones during events. So you could be at the football...and be able to see that contentious penalty on your own device. 

The 5G Create programme is also behind the new AR app to accompany the upcoming BBC Earth series The Green Planet that we covered yesterday.