Virgin Media launches broadband twice as fast as the rest

• 152Mb now UK’s fastest widely available broadband service

• Launches new parental controls to help families enjoy life online

Virgin Media today unleashed broadband speeds 19 times faster than regular broadband. The new 152Mb top speed instantly becomes the fastest widely available connection in the UK and is launched alongside new parental controls technology and advice, designed to support families in getting the most from the online world.

As the UK’s leading broadband company, Virgin Media has introduced an ultrafast speed which is far ahead of BT or any other major provider. In addition, Virgin Media’s entry-level service is now increased to 50Mb, setting a new standard for internet connectivity that is five times faster than regular broadband from Sky or BT.

Tom Mockridge, Virgin Media’s chief executive officer, said: “Overwhelmingly people tell us the internet is a force for good. From daily life to the bigger aspects of society, culture and economic growth, digital is making a significant, positive difference to people’s lives. We’re supercharging our incredible network to ensure that Virgin Media customers can make the most of the online world.”


Boosting Britain’s broadband

Virgin Media’s award-winning broadband is delivered by its superior fibre optic network, available to 12.5 million UK homes. The new 152Mb top speed means you can download an entire TV show in one 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.

Peak internet use by Virgin Media customers has grown 55% in the past year and has increased by almost 1000% since the company’s launch in 2007. It is for this reason that Virgin Media will boost broadband speeds for existing customers over the next twelve months: 30Mb customers can boost to 50Mb, 60Mb to 100Mb and 120Mb can get 152Mb.

Virgin Media’s broadband boosts have been recognised by Ofcom as helping to double the number of UK households benefiting from superfast broadband since 2011. A further one million customers signed up to get 30Mb or faster with Virgin Media in 2013.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller MP said: “Faster, safer home internet from Virgin Media is great news for families across the UK. Families are now downloading films, streaming music and playing games through phones, laptops, tablets and consoles. Higher speeds will enable the whole family to use the internet at the same time.”


Web Safe and Switched on Families

Virgin Media‘s new whole-home parental controls technology, Web Safe, allows the account holder to restrict access to types of potentially age-inappropriate websites. Free for every Virgin Media broadband household, Web Safe works across all devices connected to the family’s home internet service. From today, new Virgin Media customers will be offered Web Safe when they install their broadband connection. The technology is available to existing customers and Virgin Media will proactively offer the technology to all its customers by the end of 2014.

Web Safe works in conjunction with F-Secure SAFE, software available from Virgin Media which can help protect consumer devices out of the home too.

To support this, Virgin Media is launching Switched on Families. This new interactive guide is designed to support parents, grandparents and guardians in making informed choices about the online world. The guide has clear, honest and useful advice on a range of issues such as who to trust, inappropriate content, cyber bullying and digital addiction. Developed with expert support from The Parent Zone and F-Secure, the guide is available to anyone online at virginmedia.com/switchedonfamilies.

Vicki Shotbolt, CEO and Founder of The Parent Zone, said: “Switched on Families puts Virgin Media ahead of the game - it's the best content I've seen in this space for a long time. Parenting in a digital age is a constantly evolving challenge. The invaluable advice on this site will help empower parents to figure out what works for their family and how to best support their kids as they grow up."

Maria Miller added: “Parents will now be able to make a simple choice to activate family friendly filters that will cover all devices connected to the family’s home internet.”

Tom Mockridge added: “With the power of Virgin Media’s network, we can ensure digital really does makes good things happen for our customers, the communities around us and the country. Technology can help but we want every family to feel confident, informed and able to choose what online experience is right for them.”

Media Contacts

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

Notes

Ofcom broadband speeds report, August 2013:

“The average residential UK broadband speed reached 14.7Mbit/s in May 2013.”

“By May 2013, 19% of residential broadband connections were superfast, up from 14% in November 2012 and more than doubling from 8% over the course of the last year. The move to higher speeds is partly down to Virgin Media’s network upgrade to double the speeds of most of its cable broadband customers.”

https://media.ofcom.org.uk/2013/08/07/average-uk-broadband-speed-continues-to-rise/

Download times are estimates and can be affected by factors such as speed of the server the download is from, if the connection is wireless, time of day, general internet congestion, and other users sharing the same broadband connection.

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.