Virgin Media set to double broadband speeds
Virgin Media is set to double the speed of the broadband service received by over 4m of its subscribers.
In a programme starting next month, and rolling out over the next 18 months, customers with the current 10Mb, 20Mb, 30Mb and 50Mb services will see their speeds 'at least doubled'.
Current 100Mb customers will see an increase to 120Mb.
And there's scope for even greater speeds: the new modems to be supplied as part of the upgrade programme are capable of up to 400Mb.
120Mb broadband will allow an album to be downloaded in under five seconds, and an HD movie in five minutes, and the new service speeds will also benefit homes consuming a lot of streaming content, and those with several devices connected to the internet at the same time.
Virgin Media boss Neil Berkett says that 'The burgeoning market for better connectivity has given us an opportunity to transform the digital experience of millions of our customers and to bring about a massive step change in the number of UK consumers who have access to exciting, next generation services.
'As people are increasingly doing more online, and getting connected to the internet with lots of different devices, having a fast, reliable broadband service should not be a luxury. We want to make sure that consumers have access to the best value broadband service and that means a superfast connection.'
Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the announcement, saying that'it will provide a great boost for the economy and change the way many households, consumers and businesses use the internet.
'Rolling out superfast broadband across the country is a critical part of our plan to upgrade the UK’s infrastructure and build a new and smarter economy.'
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Comments
Had virgin Internet for 7 months. Service completely depends on time of day. Sunday morning I get full speed. In the evenings, i often I struggle To download simple pages and can forget about YouTube videos. Doubling the bandwidth won't make a difference until the infrastructure can handle the customer base they have...
I've been a VM customer for two years and have always had a flawless service from them, so no complaints here.
Even when my HD box was bricked by lightening, they swapped it out within days - no questions asked.
I'm REALLY looking forward to 'at least doubling' my current 30Mb speed!
Keep up the good work VM!
Thank You. The Centre Manager at Liverpool called me back and sincerely apologised for his employee's comments.
He apparently went through the disciplinary procedure, which knowing VM was probably to have him drink ten pints off cheap stella and eat 2 curries and 20 suppositories while on a night shift on the helpdesk.
If i had the spare time i would have sued Beardy Branson or maybe turned up on his Island and started a bonfire. Oh wait, some other disgruntled customer might have beaten me to that one.
To DrF.mbe
I had a similar issue with Virgin Mobile, so I managed to find Neil Berkett's direct email address, and contacted him directly about the staff member who shouted me down, and about the awful service I was receiving from several staff members including a manager.
It is findable if you want it, and he replied very quickly, and within days everything was sorted.
There is no point doubling a speed if you then throttle back to 25% at peak times even on a supposedly unlimited service. My maths tells me that is half of what you should get! That's why I left them, amongst other things, and joined BE. Happy for now!
It would not matter whether they quadrupled the amount.
The biggest nail in the coffin for the hundreds of thousands of unhappy Virgin media customers, is the truly contemptious customer service Dept.
What an absolute comedy shower. ( I even had one plank from the Liverpool call centre swear at me down the phone).
I now enjoy a stable connection (at a reduced bandwidth speed) thanks to Sky. I am very happy.
Just wish I had not wasted months trying to negotiate a truce with VM for nothing.
Dear Virgin. Instead of doubling speeds for the lucky subscribers, can you please roll out even a basic service, to houses in North Bristol, where ADSL is rubbish.