Boosting GB's broadband: Rebecca Adlington hits gold medal speeds

• Supercharged living room hits UK streets to celebrate 152Mb broadband

• Virgin Media launches UK’s fastest widely available broadband

Olympic medal winner Rebecca Adlington today launched Britain’s fastest widely available broadband on Virgin Media’s very own fully connected mobile living room.

The 800m freestyle world record setter quenched her thirst for speed on London’s South Bank where she unveiled the UK’s fastest broadband…on wheels.

Rebecca enjoyed gold medal speeds of 152Mb while unbeatable Virgin Media TiVo® entertainment proved more captivating than views of the Thames, all from the comfort of a sofa in her very own supercharged mobile living room.

The UK’s first road legal living room can be connected to Virgin Media’s supercharged fibre optic cable network so passengers and passers-by can experience the benefits of superfast broadband and next generation TV. The supercharged living room will now embark on a regional tour around the UK as Virgin Media unveils its new speeds at key locations across the nation.

Virgin Media’s 152Mb top speed means you can download an entire TV show in a minute but the ultrafast service really comes into its own in satisfying the burgeoning demand for bandwidth in Britain’s households as people use multiple connected devices online at the same time. 152Mb is far ahead of BT and 19 times faster than regular broadband.

Joe Lathan, Virgin Media’s broadband director, said: “Just like Rebecca, Virgin Media’s award-winning broadband is faster than the competition and, as we supercharge our network, we are extending our lead as Britain’s ultrafast broadband provider. People are increasingly connecting multiple gadgets to their home broadband so a supercharged connection is essential to boost your online entertainment experience.”

Unlike BT TV, YouView or other connected set-top boxes, Virgin Media TiVo has its own dedicated internet connection so has no impact on the broadband speeds that are delivered to Virgin Media customers.

Over the next twelve months, Virgin Media will boost broadband speeds for its customers:

• 30Mb customers can boost to 50Mb
• 60Mb customers can boost to 100Mb
• 120Mb customers can boost to 152Mb

Media Contacts

Virgin Media Press Office – 0333 000 2900 and press@virginmedia.co.uk

Virgin Media offers four multi award-winning services across the UK and Ireland: broadband, TV, mobile phone and landline.

The company’s dedicated, ultrafast network delivers the fastest widely available broadband speeds to homes and businesses. And we’re expanding this through our £3bn Project Lightning programme, which will reach 17 million premises.

Our interactive TV service brings live programmes, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and the best apps and games in a set-top box, as well as on-the-go for tablets and smartphones.

We launched the world’s first virtual mobile network, offering fantastic value and services to customers. We are also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the UK and Ireland.

Through Virgin Media Business we support entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector, delivering the fastest widely available broadband speeds and tailor-made services.

Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international cable company. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 27 million customers across 14 countries.