Virgin Media

Our broadband speeds explained

We understand your need for speed, which is why we aim to deliver ultrafast speeds you can rely on. We’ve put together all the facts, figures and FAQs to back up our claims so you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Our estimated fibre broadband speeds

To make our broadband speeds crystal clear, we’ve set them out in a handy table. These estimated speeds apply to all new customers who buy our broadband services, and to existing customers who change their broadband services, on or after 1st August 2020.

Download Speeds

Last updated: on the 9th September 2025.

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

Minimum Guaranteed Download Speed

M50

54 Mbps

53 - 55 Mbps

27 Mbps

M125

132 Mbps

134 - 137 Mbps

66 Mbps

M250

264 Mbps

269 - 274 Mbps

132 Mbps

M350

362 Mbps

375 - 384 Mbps

181 Mbps

M500

516 Mbps

527 - 548 Mbps

258 Mbps

Gig1 Fibre Broadband

1130 Mbps

1053 - 1143 Mbps

565 Mbps


Upload speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

M50

5 Mbps

5 Mbps

M125

20 Mbps

21 Mbps

M250

25 Mbps

26 Mbps

M350

36 Mbps

37 Mbps

M500

52 Mbps

51 - 52 Mbps

Gig1 Fibre Broadband

104 Mbps

100 - 105 Mbps


Our estimated full fibre broadband speeds

Download Speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

Minimum Guaranteed Download Speed

M50

54 Mbps

53 - 55 Mbps

27 Mbps

M125

132 Mbps

136 - 137 Mbps

66 Mbps

M250

264 Mbps

272 - 274 Mbps

132 Mbps

M350

362 Mbps

380 - 382 Mbps

181 Mbps

M500

516 Mbps

527 - 548 Mbps

258 Mbps

Gig1 Full Fibre Broadband

1130 Mbps

1127 - 1138 Mbps

565 Mbps

Gig2 Full Fibre Broadband

2000 Mbps

2043 - 2085 Mbps

1000 Mbps


Upload speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

M50

5 Mbps

5 Mbps

M125

20 Mbps

22 Mbps

M250

25 Mbps

27 Mbps

M350

36 Mbps

38 Mbps

M500

52 Mbps

51 - 52 Mbps

Gig1 Full Fibre Broadband

104 Mbps

108 - 109 Mbps

Gig2 Full Fibre Broadband

200 Mbps

209 Mbps


Upload speed add-on

Download Speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

Minimum Guaranteed Download Speed

M50

54 Mbps

52 - 55 Mbps

27 Mbps

M125

132 Mbps

135 - 137 Mbps

66 Mbps

M250

264 Mbps

272 - 273 Mbps

132 Mbps

M350

362 Mbps

380 - 382 Mbps

181 Mbps

M500

516 Mbps

515 - 518 Mbps

258 Mbps

Gig1 Full Fibre Broadband

1080 Mbps

1133 - 1138 Mbps

540 Mbps

Gig2 Full Fibre Broadband

2000 Mbps

2080 - 2085 Mbps

1000 Mbps


Upload Speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

M50

54 Mbps

53 - 55 Mbps

M125

132 Mbps

136 Mbps

M250

264 Mbps

271-272 Mbps

M350

362 Mbps

380 Mbps

M500

516 Mbps

543 Mbps

Gig1 Full Fibre Broadband

1080 Mbps

1130 - 1133 Mbps

Gig2 Full Fibre Broadband

2000 Mbps

2092 - 2093 Mbps


*The advertised download and upload speeds for our Virgin Fibre packages are calculated by taking the median average, or the mid-point between the fastest and slowest speeds for each package at peak times (8-10pm), each month. This is in line with the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) guidance.

** The expected speed range is the normal download and upload speed that you could expect at peak times (8-10pm, Monday-Sunday). This is in line with Ofcom’s guidance.


More about our speeds

The advertised download and upload speeds for our broadband packages are average speeds, calculated by taking the mid-point between the fastest and slowest speeds for each package at peak times (8-10pm). We’ve done this in line with the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) guidance.

As these are average speeds, they’re not guaranteed.

The ‘normally available speed range’ is the download and upload speed that you can expect your Virgin Media Hub to get at peak times (8-10pm, Monday-Sunday). This is in line with the Voluntary Ofcom Speed Code, which we’ve signed up to. On the Ofcom website, you can find a copy Ofcom’s customer guide to the Residential Codes [(click here)](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/244321/2022-Voluntary-Code-of-Practice-Residential.pdf), and Business Codes [(click here)](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/244322/2022-Voluntary-Code-of-Practice-Business.pdf).

The data for our advertised and normally available speeds comes from a broadband measurement panel made up of our real customers spread out across our network. Powered by Cisco, we run millions of tests a month to understand how our broadband is performing.

The actual speed you experience can be lower than estimated. Broadband speeds may be affected by things we can’t control – like the use of WiFi, the device you’re using, the wiring in your building and the number of users online and accessing a particular website. Also, at peak times, high usage e.g. during major sporting events, may cause congestion.

The actual speed of your service may vary, but for new customers and existing customers who change their broadband services on or after 28th February 2019, we now provide a minimum download speed guarantee to your Virgin Media Hub. This is 50% of the advertised speed for your broadband service on the date you placed your order.

Our current advertised speeds are listed in the table above. You’ll need to keep your Hub plugged in and switched on for us to get speed information from it. The minimum download speed guarantee does not apply to outages.

If the download speeds to your Virgin Media Hub falls below our minimum download speed guarantee for three consecutive days (continuously or intermittently) and we’re unable to fix the problem within 30 days, you may be able to leave your contract without paying an early disconnection fee. That goes for new customers, or existing customers who change their broadband services on or after 28th February 2019.

We don’t use traffic management, meaning you can download and upload as much as you like without traffic management slowing you down. The exception to this is for customers that have agreed to a limit on their broadband usage.

We do have other reasonable traffic management measures across our network in order to meet our legal obligations, maintain the integrity and security of our networks, give you parental controls and provide you with the services you've asked us to.

For more details on our traffic management and other reasonable traffic management measures, please go to virginmedia.com/traffic.


Speed you can rely on

Great internet experiences can move you, but only when your connection is truly great. Our cable’s thicker copper core combined with quality insulation allows us to deliver average speeds of 1130Mbps on our top widely available tier, Gig 1 Fibre Broadband.

We own the entire network to your home which means we can measure the reliability of your connection from beginning to end – including your Virgin Media Hub.

Check out our handy table below to see how reliable our entire network has been.

Time period

Reliability

January 2025 – June 2025

99.88%


Essential broadband - download speeds

Essential broadband is available to new and existing customers in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-based Employment Support Allowance. For more information, including how to apply, see virginmedia.com/essential.

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

Minimum Guaranteed Speed

Essential broadband

15Mbps

14 - 16Mbps

8Mbps

Essential broadband plus

54Mbps

53 - 55Mbps

27Mbps


Essential broadband - upload speeds

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

Essential broadband

2Mbps

2Mbps

Essential broadband plus

5Mbps

5Mbps


*The advertised download and upload speeds for our Virgin Fibre packages are calculated by taking the median average, or the mid-point between the fastest and slowest speeds for each package at peak times (8-10pm), each month. This is in line with the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) guidance.

**The expected speed range is the normal download and upload speed that you could expect at peak times (8-10pm, Monday-Sunday). This is in line with Ofcom’s guidance.


Legacy products

Applies to existing customers who re-contracted with us on or after 28th February 2019.

Product

Advertised Speed*

Minimum Guaranteed Speed

M70

70 Mbps

35 Mbps

M600

630 Mbps

315 Mbps


Legacy products - upload speeds

Applies to existing customers who re-contracted with us on or after 28th February 2019.

Product

Advertised Speed*

Expected Speed Range**

M70

5 Mbps

3 Mbps

M600

41 Mbps

39 - 42 Mbps


Legacy products

Applies to existing customers who re-contracted with us between 28th February 2019 and 31st Jul 2020.

Product

Advertised Speed*

Minimum Guaranteed Speed

M50

54 Mbps

27 Mbps

M125

132 Mbps

66 Mbps

M250

264 Mbps

132 Mbps

M350

362 Mbps

181 Mbps

M500

516 Mbps

258 Mbps

Gig1 (1Gb)

1,140 Mbps

570 Mbps


Legacy products - upload speeds

Applies to existing customers who re-contracted with us between 28th February 2019 and 31st Jul 2020.

Advertised Speed*

Minimum Guaranteed Speed

5 Mbps

3 Mbps

10 Mbps

5 Mbps

20 Mbps

10 Mbps

36 Mbps

18 Mbps

52 Mbps

26 Mbps


*The advertised download and upload speeds for our Virgin Fibre packages are calculated by taking the median average, or the mid-point between the fastest and slowest speeds for each package at peak times (8-10pm), each month. This is in line with the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) guidance.

**The expected speed range is the normal download and upload speed that you could expect at peak times (8-10pm, Monday-Sunday). This is in line with Ofcom’s guidance.


Ofcom Speed Code Information - FAQs

Starting from 1st March 2019, we’ve signed up to a new, voluntary code of practice to make sure we’re giving you transparent, realistic info about the speed you are likely to get when you use our broadband services. This covers the things that may affect the speed you’re getting, as well as how to end your contract without penalty if you’re getting speeds below our minimum download speed guarantee.

On the Ofcom website, you can find a copy Ofcom’s customer guide to the Residential Codes - click here, and Business Codes - click here.

The new voluntary code will apply to all new broadband customers that join us, or existing customers that re-contract or change their broadband services on or after 28th February 2019.


Broadband Speed Information - FAQs

All of our broadband services are suitable for:

• Web browsing

• HD streaming

• Voice over IP

• Online gaming

• Video calling

For Ultra HD streaming to a TV we recommend having a broadband service that has an advertised download speed of at least 30Mbps.

All of our broadband services are capable of achieving our advertised download and upload speeds, but the actual speeds you experience in your home may vary, particularly at peak times. This is why we’ve agreed under the Voluntary Ofcom Speed Code to give you some additional broadband speed info. In particular, we’ll now provide new and re-contracting broadband customers with an estimated, normally available (peak time) speed range and for peace of mind, a minimum download speed guarantee.

This is an estimated range of download and upload speeds you can expect to get to your Virgin Media Hub at peak times (8-10pm, Monday-Sunday).

With help from the experts at Cisco, we’re given measurements that let us show you our broadband speeds, as required under Ofcom’s Voluntary Speed Code. Every Virgin Media Hub has the Cisco measurement tech inside it, meaning we get a good picture of broadband speeds across our network and can provide you with all the speed information we need to under the Code, including an estimated speed range and minimum guaranteed download speed (this needs to be at least 50% of our advertised speeds).

The technical bit:

A subset of Hubs with Cisco measurement tech are configured to run download and upload speed tests during peak hours (8-10pm). Each speed test uses three concurrent TCP connections and measures speed to a cluster of test servers located in a major London datacenter, outside Virgin Media's network. The sample of Hubs is no fewer than 3 lines per Virgin Media broadband service, across at least 250 of our local aggregation hubs (called a CMTS).

The actual speeds you get can vary from the advertised speed of your product, particularly at peak times. Broadband speeds may be affected by things we can’t control – like the use of WiFi, the device you’re using, the wiring in your home and the number of users online and accessing a particular website. Also, at peak times, high usage, e.g. during major sporting events, may cause congestion.

If the actual download speed provided from our network to your Virgin Media Hub falls below the minimum guaranteed download speed (which is 50% of the advertised speed for your broadband service on the date you placed your order), and this happens for 3 consecutive days or more (whether continuously or intermittently during the day) and we are unable to fix the problem, you may be able to leave your contract without paying an early disconnection fee. You need to contact us if you have a speed problem via the contact us page.

A bunch of things outside our control might affect your broadband speeds at home, including the location of the Hub, how you use your WiFi, the devices you use and the wiring in your building. Plus, unlike our Hub 4, our Hub 1, 2 and 3 can only measure speeds to themselves, not to your devices. To get the most out of your in-home WiFi, or to fix any WiFi issues, check out our help pages.

We’ve put together a handy guide on how to check your broadband performance with some great tips to make sure you’re getting the most from your service. You can find it here: Checking your Virgin Media broadband performance.

If you’re still not happy with your speeds, then you can find more advice and details of how to troubleshoot your connection here.

Our retail stores and kiosks aren’t able to help with speed related faults. Instead, drop us a line on our 'Contact Us' page. Just so you know, our fault agents will need to perform checks to try to fix the fault, so you’ll need to be at home for this.


Right to Cancel - FAQs

If you’re having speed issues and we haven’t been able to fix things on our call with you, we’ll set up a few scheduled speed tests for your Hub, beginning on the day after you told us about the problem. You won’t have to do anything – but it’s worth knowing that we’ll only run these tests if we detect you’re not using the connection for anything else.

We’ll let you know the results as soon as possible after we’ve finished the tests.

If the actual download speed you received to your Virgin Media Hub during the test period falls below our ‘minimum guaranteed download speed’ for 3 days in a row (continuously or intermittently), we’ll confirm that there’s a speed fault, and if we can’t fix the issue within 30 days of your report, you may be eligible to leave us without paying an early disconnection fees.

Don’t forget, our minimum guaranteed download speed is to your Virgin Media Hub, not the device you’re using WiFi on. Even when using a wired connection, some older devices might not support our fastest speeds.

We’ll always contact you by email at the end of the 30-day period to let you know what’s happening, and ask you to contact our customer service team to talk through your options.

You can read more about ending your contract in Section N of the terms and conditions. If we don’t provide the ‘minimum guaranteed download speed’ as set out above (i.e. we have not remedied the speed problem within 30 days of your notifying us or we cannot address the problem) then we’ll offer you the opportunity to end your contract immediately, without an early disconnection fee. In exceptional circumstances (for example where you cancel technician visits or miss appointments) we may extend the 30 days but we’ll always discuss this with you beforehand.

Once you report a speed issue to us, we’ll perform checks to try to fix the fault. You need to keep your Virgin Media Hub plugged in, switched on and set to enable us to get speed information from it, which will help us diagnose any problems. We’ll keep you informed every step of the way and within 30 days of you reporting the speed issue to us, we’ll let you know whether we’ve found a speed issue, and if we’ve been able to fix it. If we haven’t been able to sort it in 30 days, we’ll give you the right to end your contract without paying an early disconnection fee.

No, of course not! We really want you to stay. If you decide to stay with us, there may be some other options available to you, which we’ll discuss at the time.

You have 30 days from the day we write to confirm your right to end your contract without paying an early disconnection fee, either to take up the offer or choose a different option. After this, your right to end your contract without paying an early disconnection fee will expire.

If you’ve allowed your right to cancel to expire and haven’t taken up any other option we’ve offered you but are still experiencing speed problems, you should contact us again via the contact us page.

Get helpful advice from the friendly community at our forums and find out how to get in touch with us via contact us page.


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