Thousands of homes and businesses in Wickford connected to ultrafast broadband

• Full fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology with average top speeds of 516Mbps

• Virgin Media’s broadband speeds are 12 times faster than the local average
• 4K movies and computer games downloaded in minutes
• Virgin Media’s Oomph bundles offer the complete entertainment experience

Virgin Media has completed the rollout of its ultrafast broadband network in Wickford, Essex, which will provide 3,000 local residents and businesses with the fastest widely available speeds in the UK.

As part of its ‘Project Lightning’ network expansion programme, Virgin Media is expanding its ultrafast broadband network across the UK, bringing average top speeds of 516Mbps to residents and small businesses.

This will help transform the quality of broadband in the area where the average (median) download speed is 42.9Mbps*. The company is also bringing next generation gigabit broadband to its entire network of 15 million homes by the end of 2021 as part of its new Gig1 service.

Wickford residents and businesses will benefit from fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology which allows for smooth, reliable connectivity in the home. With a 516Mbps connection, files, films and games become unbelievably quick to stream, download and upload:

·        Download a standard HD movie file (5GB) in less than a minute and a half, compared to nearly 16 minutes on the average local connection;

·        Download a 25GB console game in seven minutes, compared nearly an hour and a half on the average local connection**

Hannah Wardale, Virgin Media’s Regional Director for South East, said: “We are pleased to have finished our expansion in Wickford. We know how important great broadband is to modern-day living – from online banking to doing the weekly shop, so much of our lives are now online. With our ultrafast broadband, Wickford residents can do the things they love and need to do more quickly and easily.”

Virgin Media’s Oomph bundles

By combining broadband, TV, home phone and mobile into one bundle, Virgin Media’s Oomph packages offer outstanding value for customers. This includes broadband that’s faster than standard packages and a data-rich 4G mobile SIM on a network that’s faster on average than Vodafone, 02, Three and Sky.

It’s better value for customers to take cable and mobile services together in an Oomph package from Virgin Media rather than taking them separately.

With the Ultimate Oomph bundle, customers can enjoy the ultimate entertainment and connectivity experience at home or on the move.

This includes the UK’s fastest widely available broadband with average top speeds of 516Mbps – seven times faster than BT and Sky – as well as a mobile SIM with truly unlimited data, texts and calls.

Plus, there’s brilliant TV with two of Virgin TV’s latest V6 set-top boxes complete with more than 270 channels including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and BT Sport in 4K Ultra HD, as well as inclusive anytime landline calls.

For those interested in Virgin Media’s fantastic services, they can go online now to check out our latest deals > https://www.virginmedia.com/

Ends


Notes to Editors

*The average (median) broadband speed in Wickford, Basildon, is 42.9Mbps. Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations Report 2019, published 18 December 2019. ** Download speeds calculated using www.download-time.com