Virgin Media ponders over 150Mbps broadband

Yep, you read that right – 150Mbps. Not content with being the only broadband provider in the UK to offer 50Mbps services to customers, Virgin Media are apparently planning on rolling out services providing top speeds of 150Mbps as early as next year.

Chief executive Neil Berkett today told BBC News that Virgin Media will offer next-gen broadband speeds up to two years in advance of BT completing the deployment of their own cable network.

“We have an opportunity with our network to provide significantly higher speeds [than BT],” he said.

“If BT were to meet the time frame they have suggested – of finishing by 2012 – I would see us as having much, much faster upstream speed, running at a minimum [our italics] of 100Mbps downstream and possibly more.”

BT’s £1.5 billion cable network, which is due to be rolled out by 2012, will reach 40 per cent of UK homes, and will provide on average speeds of 40 to 60Mbps.

By contrast, Virgin Media’s network, which already covers 50 per cent of the UK, will be offering faster speeds a couple of years before, with the possibility of 200Mbps – the theoretical limit of Virgin’s network – becoming available by 2012.

[Link: BBC News]

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