Virgin Media O2 is reportedly preparing to cut as many as 4,000 jobs — a quarter of its roughly 16,000-person workforce — as part of an effort to rein in costs and address company debt, according to TechRadar.

A reduction of that scale would rank among the larger workforce actions in the UK telecom sector in recent years. The company, formed from the 2021 merger of Virgin Media and O2, has been navigating a market defined by heavy fixed-line and 5G infrastructure spending, intense price competition, and the broader squeeze that has pushed European carriers toward consolidation and cost-cutting.

Debt reduction appears to be the central driver here. Carrying heavy leverage while funding network buildouts leaves little room when revenue growth stalls, and labor is typically the most controllable large expense on the books.

The reported figures have not been confirmed by the company, and the final number could shift as any restructuring plan is formalized. If accurate, the cuts would land across a business spanning broadband, mobile, and enterprise services.