8,000 homes and businesses in Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley now ultrafast broadband ready

Full fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology with speeds of 362Mbps

Offering speeds more than 15 times faster than the local average

Virgin Media has completed the rollout of its ultrafast broadband network in Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley which will provide more than 8,000 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 speeds of up to 362Mbps for residents and small businesses.

The entire rollout by Virgin Media of its network in each area is fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology which allows for fast, reliable connectivity in the home.

This will help transform the quality of broadband in the area where the average download speed is 23.8Mbps*. With a 362Mbps connection, files, films and games become unbelievably quick to stream, download and upload:

· Download a standard HD movie file (5GB) in two minutes, compared to more than 30 minutes on the average local connection;

· Download a 25GB console game in 10 minutes, compared to more than two hours and 30 minutes on the average local connection.**

Virgin Media has been heavily involved with the local community throughout the process of its expansion in the area. In July, it sponsored Cheslyn Hay High School 40th anniversary celebration in which it created a 3D image of Usain Bolt on the grounds as well as having a football freestyler entertain guests.

In September, Virgin Media held a second community event and fundraiser at Cheslyn Hay Tennis Club and invited professional British tennis players Danny Sapsford and Jocelyn Rae to help local residents improve their tennis skills.

Karen Walker, Regional Director at Virgin Media, said: “It’s great news for local residents and businesses in both Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley as we open our ultrafast broadband network. We have worked closely with the local community, helping support important events and provide residents with information about our expansion in the area. We are delighted that they will now be able to benefit from the boost our lightning fast internet speeds will bring as well as our fantastic entertainment packages.”

Virgin Media’s gigabit-ready lines will mean residents can also sign up to Virgin TV and benefit from the latest entertainment on its 4k-ready V6 set-top box. This is on top of great programming with up to 260 TV channels (including up to 50 HD channels) and all the football from Sky Sports and BT Sports.

Virgin Media also offers Sky Movies and Netflix, as well as an extensive on demand library of TV box sets and movies; giving customers seamless access to the TV they want, all in one place.

Residents can also benefit from Virgin Mobile’s fast 4G connectivity, which for pay monthly customers includes data free Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Twitter, as well as the ability to rollover unused data each month and have truly unlimited data packages.

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 South Staffordshire is 23.8Mbps. Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations Report 2018, published 18 December 2018.

** Download speeds calculated using www.download-time.com

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 Virgin 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, the world’s largest international TV and broadband company. Liberty Global connects 21 million customers through operations in 10 countries across Europe subscribing to 45 million TV, broadband internet and telephony services. It also serves 6 million mobile subscribers and offers WiFi service through 12 million access points across its footprint.