Virgin Media trials 1.5Gb
July 22, 2011
UK quad-play operator Virgin Media, the UK’s leading broadband provider, is successfully delivering internet speeds up to 240 times faster than the national average to trialists in London. Using Virgin Media’s cable network, broadband speeds of up to 1.5Gb are being enjoyed around Old Street, an area known as ‘Silicon Roundabout’, including by members at TechHub, a community and workspace for technology entrepreneurs.
The 1.5Gb download and 150Mb upload trial uses the same infrastructure and technology as Virgin Media uses to provide residential customers with speeds of up to 100Mb, already being rolled out to over half of all UK homes. The 1.5Gb trial is the world’s fastest cable connection and more than 240 times faster than the national average broadband.
Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, noted that with people simultaneously connecting more gadgets to the Internet and doing more online than ever before, the operator wanted to explore what its fibre optic network is capable of. “At speeds of up to 1.5Gb, Virgin Media is delivering some of the fastest broadband in the world and, thanks to our ongoing investment, we’re able to anticipate and lead the way in meeting growing demand for bandwidth as future services and applications come online,” he claimed.
Virgin Media contends that as the pace of technological change increases, its future-proofed infrastructure means consumers will be best placed to access future interactive entertainment and public services, such as remote healthcare and online education, as they are developed.