Virgin Media, the UK’s leading broadband provider, has now raced past the ten million homes milestone as it works to make the country’s fastest broadband available across its entire network. Giving customers access to more than thirteen times the national average internet speed1, Virgin Media’s 100Mb service is now available for the first time in cabled areas of Bromley, Dundee, Norton Hawkfield (North East Somerset) and Staverton (Gloucestershire).
These areas join places up and down the country with access to superfast speeds from Virgin Media that allow users to download even high quality movies in less than a couple of minutes or, crucially, ensure family, friends and housemates can all have an outstanding experience when using connected TVs, computers, games consoles, tablets or smartphones at the same time.
The growing take up and use of such connected devices is causing an explosion in the volume of online data, with Virgin Media carrying twice as much as two years ago. During peak periods internet traffic on Virgin Media’s next generation network exceeds over three quarters of a terabit per second – at that rate it is possible to download enough books to fill 28 miles of shelving every minute.
As noted by Ofcom, UK consumers are moving onto higher speed packages as they do more online. The independent regulator has again confirmed Virgin Media provides the fastest average download speeds in its recent research1.
Virgin Media’s programme of work to enable superfast 100Mb broadband is now ahead of schedule and will be complete this spring, having originally been due to finish in mid 2012.
Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media said: “Soon half the country will be able to get superfast 100Mb broadband from us. Reaching today’s milestone puts us ahead of schedule as we help propel the UK up the global broadband rankings. Broadband is coming of age as more people give up on slow DSL in favour of superfast fibre optic speeds. With Virgin Media yet again confirmed as the fastest by Ofcom just last week, this along with our fantastic TiVo TV service means we have an incredible combination that lets our customers enjoy the digitally connected world to the full.”
Virgin Media has a track record of leading Britain’s digital development such as with the launch of 50Mb, then 100Mb, as the then fastest widely-available broadband in the country. The company is now separately embarking on a significant programme which will boost the broadband speeds of over four million households over the next eighteen months. Subscribers to Virgin Media’s current 10Mb, 20Mb, 30Mb and 50Mb services will see their speeds at least doubled, with 100Mb customers seeing a significant increase to 120Mb from the summer– the fastest widely available broadband in the UK.
Based on millions of real-world broadband tests at speedtest.net from global testing and web-based network diagnostic company Ookla, the UK is currently outside the top thirty countries in the world for average broadband speeds2. If Virgin Media’s customers were considered a nation on their own, they would currently be around 15th. However, following this additional boost, they are set to become the 2nd fastest ‘country’ in the world based on today’s standards, while it should also push the entire country up into the top twenty, leaping ahead of the United States of America, Japan, France and Germany.
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company’s cable network – the result of multi-billion pound private investment – delivers ultrafast broadband to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, as well as market leading connectivity to thousands of public and private sector organisations across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of British households.
The world’s first virtual mobile network was launched by Virgin Media and it is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media is a part of Liberty Global plc, the world’s largest broadband communications group. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 25 million customers across 14 countries, helping connect people to the digital world and enabling them to discover and experience its endless possibilities.