Virgin Media investment brings the UK’s fastest gigabit home broadband to Reading

• Gig1 offers speeds 25 times faster than the Reading average starting at £62 per month with a price freeze for at least 24 months

• Connecting Reading to gigabit broadband is part of Virgin Media’s national rollout plan that will see 15 million homes join the Gig1 footprint across Great Britain
• Hyperfast speeds are delivered throughout the household with Virgin Media’s latest and most powerful router – the Hub 4
• This investment comes as Virgin Media is set to open a new HQ in the area

Virgin Media has today switched on the UK’s fastest gigabit home broadband service in Reading offering connectivity 25 times faster than the current local average.

Virgin Media’s Gig1 is now available to hundreds of thousands of homes in and around Reading with homes in the Calcot, Caversham, Earley, Tilehurst and Woodley areas of the city, and surrounding villages including Pangbourne, Twyford, Shinfield and Theale set to benefit. Other nearby towns including Newbury, Bracknell, Wokingham, Thatcham, Basingstoke and High Wycombe will also benefit from the broadband boost which is part of the company’s plan to bring gigabit speeds to nearly 15 million homes by the end of 2021 – the entire Virgin Media network.

As broadband data use increases tenfold every 7 years, this service provides the connectivity needed for future applications like 8K streaming, cloud gaming and virtual reality telepresence without the need to excavate roads and streets to install new cables.

Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media, said: “This is a next-generation broadband boost for the residents of Reading.

“These hyperfast speeds are 25 times faster than Reading’s average broadband connection, meaning that households can do everything they want to do online, at the same time, without delay and are well set for whatever comes next.

“This is just one of many investments we’re making in Reading – with our brand new state-of-the-art office set to open next month. We’re committed to making the UK faster and will continue to roll out next-generation Gig1 broadband across our entire network over the next 24 months - a speed and scale unmatched by anyone else.”

Ellie Emberson, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Corporate and Consumer Services, commented: “Reading is already a major economic player in both the region and in the UK. The introduction of this level of broadband connectivity and speed is yet another major vote of confidence in Reading.

 “Developing technology is offering individuals, businesses and organisations new ways of working and new job and career opportunities. Outside of the workplace, there is the potential to make a real difference to lives, through things like access to care or information, which will lead to major benefits for people across the town.”

Gig1 – faster speeds, new router and competitive pricing

The hyperfast Gig1 service offers an average peak-time download speed of 1,104Mbps.

Gig1 broadband is available to new and existing customers and can be packaged with or without telephone, TV and mobile services. Prices start from just £62 per month on an 18 month contract with a guaranteed price freeze for at least 24 months.

Customers taking Gig1 will benefit from Virgin Media’s new and best ever equipped gigabit capable router – the Hub 4. The new router is Virgin Media’s fastest to date and features improved WiFi hardware to provide speedy and reliable connectivity throughout customers’ homes.

The Hub 4 boasts more antennae than its predecessor, the Hub 3, meaning it can manage multiple devices at the same time around the home which can all share the hyperfast speed.

The new router makes use of the operator’s next generation broadband technology, known as DOCSIS 3.1, which it will deploy across its entire cable network over time.

The power of Gig1 speeds

With Virgin Media’s hyperfast gigabit connection, ultra-high definition 4K films and TV programmes, very large files and 360 degree videos can be downloaded almost instantaneously, even with multiple devices using the connection simultaneously. The connection will also support innovative technologies like virtual and augmented reality headsets, cloud gaming and futuristic immersive in-home entertainment.

A newly published report for Virgin Media’s parent company, Liberty Global, by leading economists Oxera, found that the rollout of gigabit broadband will lead to transformative changes in the way people interact, socialise, work and stay healthy. The report says the widespread rollout of gigabit broadband will lead to major benefits to society and dramatically improve people’s lives by improving the quality and availability of healthcare services, reduce time lost travelling, help in the fight against climate change and create new ways of interacting with friends and family.

Virgin Media has the largest gigabit-capable network in the UK which currently passes nearly 15 million UK premises. The network consists of both fibre-rich cable and fibre connected directly to the premises, both of which can provide customers with gigabit speeds.

Virgin Media, through its Project Lightning programme, is also continuing to expand its ultrafast network to more homes and businesses across the UK. Almost 2 million premises have been passed since the project began.

In a further boost to Reading’s economy, Virgin Media is set to open a brand new headquarters in the city’s Green Park Business Park which will be home to approximately 1,300 staff. The office is expected to open next month.

Virgin Media will announce which further cities are set to benefit from its Gig1 service next year as it continues its national gigabit rollout plan. Recent investment means that residents in Southampton, Manchester and Reading are already able to access these next-generation broadband services.

Customers can find out more and buy Gig1 Fibre at www.virginmedia.com/gig1

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Source for broadband speed claims

The average (median) download speed in Reading is 40 Mbps. Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations Report 2018, published 18 December 2018.

Hub 4

The Hub 4 is powered by an Intel Puma 7 chipset and supports the wave 2 802.11ac WiFi standard. It offers 3x3 MIMO on the 2.4GHz band and 4x4 MIMO on the 5GHz frequency.

Speed and Pricing

Gig1 has a download speed of 1,104Mbps and an upload speed of 52Mbps. It is available to new and existing customers across all of our Solus, Dual, Triple and Oomph bundles on an 18 month contract with a price guaranteed for at least 24 months.

The UK’s fastest home broadband

**Based on Gig1 Fibre Broadband average speed of 1.104Gbps (exact figure) vs fastest average speeds of residential broadband services provided by UK internet service providers. To verify, see virginmedia.com/Gig1Compare

About Virgin Media

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

Our dedicated, ultrafast network delivers the fastest widely-available broadband speeds to homes and businesses and we’re expanding this through our Project Lightning programme, which could extend our network to up to 17 million premises.

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

Virgin Mobile launched the world’s first virtual mobile network and offers fantastic value and innovative services with 4G connectivity. 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, one of the world’s leading converged video, broadband and communications companies. Liberty Global connects 11 million customers through operations in six countries across Europe subscribing to 25 million TV, broadband internet and telephony services. It also serves 6 million mobile subscribers.