Following on from Monday’s grand unveiling of Virgin Media’s new 50Mbps Size: XXL service we’ve just heard word that Be Broadband have finished conducting successful trials of a new ‘bonding’ process, which doubles the top download speed of their 24Mbps service to “almost 50 [Mbps]“. The process ‘bonds’ two high-speed connections together, thereby nearly doubling the potential maximum speed.

Trials held across the central London Paddington exchange yielded positive results, with customers reporting real-world download speeds of between 30 and 45Mbps.

The Be Broadband press release states that this is “the equivalent of 3MB to 4.5MB each second – the size of an average MP3 file, ” and that “wider trials of the service are planned through 2009.”

Felix Geyr, Managing Director of Be Broadband, said “We want to push the limits of high-speed broadband. We already offer the fastest possible broadband on an ADSL line, but we want to take it a step further. If you want broadband around the 50Mb mark but don’t want to go the cable route, Be wants to offer you a real alternative.”

Just two days ago saw Virgin Media’s launch of their new 50Mbps service, full rollout of which is expected to be completed by Summer 2009; however, these services will only be available in cable areas. Be Broadband’s trials will allow customers to get similar speeds through BT lines, which are available to more customers, specifically those who don’t live within cabled areas.

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Today Virgin Media took the wraps off of their new 50Mbps premium broadband service, which promises to provide the fastest home broadband experience in the UK yet, and truly unlimited downloads unhindered by any bandwidth-throttling, traffic-shaping or hidden “unlimited” limits.

Journalists were given the chance to experience the power of 50Mbps broadband themselves at the press launch where two PCs and a laptop along with a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360 were all running nicely alongside each other, all sharing the same connection. YouTube videos buffered quickly, and iPlayer programmes (in high quality) loaded in next to no time at all.

Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett was keen to stress that the new service is not just a premium service aimed at gamers and heavy downloaders (although it is that as well) but rather “whatever you want it to be,” something that can be used by everyone in the family for all sorts of purposes, a sentiment reflected by the surroundings.

Areas of the conference room were mock ups of typical domestic set ups, with the 360 running Halo 3 in what was ostensibly the boys’ bedroom, and a PC with Facebook as the home page in what was meant to be a social network-addicted teenage girl’s room.

The ‘lounge’ area of the room housed the laptop and the PS3, which was running PlayStation Home the Virgin Media spokesman ran his avatar into the virtual cinema area of Home, and began streaming trailers for the forthcoming Watchmen movie in HD.

Berkett said that the launch of the 50Mbps service heralded a “Golden Age” for broadband, and that this was just the beginning of things to come, with the existing fibre optic network apparently capable of handling speeds of up to 100Mbps. The upgrades required for this new premium broadband service will also eventually see more HD TV content available on-demand.

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Virgin Media is rumoured to be launching its super-fast 50Mbps broadband service as early as 15th December after it was revealed that journalists have invited to a mystery event on that date.

Virgin Media previously announced that the launch of its 50Mbps service would take place before the end of the year, but had thus far declined to give an exact date. Journalists have been told to “hold the date” on 15th December, which, given Richard Branson’s taste for the theatrical, indicates that the company plans to launch the new service at this time.

Virgin Media has been working on the launch of their fibre-optic broadband for months, which will be faster than any internet service the UK has seen to date. Leaks of the Virgin Media’s new 50Mbps modem have already been making the rounds, and the company has publicised the failure of online speed tests to correctly assess the speed of next generation broadband after a trial in Kent revealed major inconsistencies. Virgin Media refused to comment on the speculated launch.

Independent mobile handset comparison site Mobile Phones are giving away a 16GB version of the new Nokia N96 FREE to all entrants who submit a review of their current handset.

The N96 is a powerful smartphone which features a powerful 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual LED flash, capable of taking stunning pictures and recording near-DVD like quality footage, as well as a music player complete with customisable equaliser options, a video player and mobile internet options.

To enter, all you need to do is submit a review to the Mobile Phones site; click here for more information on how to win the Nokia N96, and to review the official terms and conditions.

The competition begins today, and will be active until midnight of Monday the 15th of December 2008.

An open-access fibre network designed to improve high speed internet connections to homes and businesses in North Wales has been launched officially.

200 miles of fibre optic cable has been laid between Holyhead on Anglesey and Manchester as part of the scheme, which will enable broadband services with speeds of up to 1Gbps for business parks and industrial estates in the region.

The £30m FibreSpeed initiative has received financial backing from both public and private sectors including the Welsh Assembly Government, European Regional Development Fund, and fibre-network company Geo Networks. The assembly estimates that the investment will add £29m GVA (gross value added) to the Welsh economy year on year.

Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones said it would “substantially enhance” Wales’ internet infrastructure. “This exciting advance helps arm Welsh businesses with a powerful competitive advantage in resisting the global financial crisis and preparing for the economic upturn that will follow,” he said.

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Today, December 1st, is predicted to be the busiest internet shopping day of the year, as families come home to look for online bargains after a weekend at the shops, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

In recent years the second weekend of December has been the time when internet shoppers have been most willing to part with their cash, but consultancy firm Deloitte has predicted that today will be the busiest day for online shopping, following the 2.5% cut in VAT announced last week, which has prompted many shops to slash their prices by up to 20% is a bid for more customers. The company estimates that online sales will increase this year by 10 per cent to £4.7 billion.

Ian Geddes, a spokesman for Deloitte, said, “Customers are looking for deals earlier and earlier and they have become more promiscuous, looking around for the best deals. The internet has once again established itself as the home of low prices.”

The DVD of Mamma Mia!, the film version of the West End Abba musical, is predicted to become the bestselling present this Christmas, according to Amazon. Already the film has become the most sold DVD of all time, ahead of even the Star Wars Trilogy. Mobile phones and computer games such as the Nintendo Wii Fit are also expected to be fast sellers in the run-up to Christmas.

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Following Chancellor Alistair Darling’s announcement to reduce VAT down from 17.5% to 15%, BT have adjusted the prices of their Broadband packages across the board.

The introductory rate for Option 1 now falls down from its original £7.95 a month to £7.78. The equivalent rates for Option 2 and Option 3 fall accordingly, down to £13.69 and £18.59.

Whilst these price drops aren’t exactly massive, the savings will add up in the long term, plus its good to know that BT aren’t planning to make any extra moolah off of their consumer base as a result of the Chancellor’s VAT cut. We wonder if BT’s rivals plan on following suit…