ADSL Broadband
Best Broadband
Cable Broadband
Free Broadband
Fastest Broadband
20Mb Broadband
50Mb Broadband
Fibre-Optic Broadband
Virgin Media launches 50Mbps connection
Tuesday 16th December 2008, by Daniel King
Virgin Media launched its new 50bps broadband connection yesterday (December 15th).
The fibre optic cable service should be available to all of its 12 million customers by the end of next summer.
Up to 40 per cent of Virgin Media customers should be able to subscribe to the service by the end of 2008.
The firm claims that areas of Scotland, the Midlands and south London should be able to sign up to the high-speed broadband option within two weeks.
Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, said the unveiling of the new connections marked a "historic moment" both for the company and the rest of the UK.
He said: "As the first ISP to roll out next-generation broadband access, our 50Mbps service represents the dawning of a new era of high-speed services in the UK, and is just the beginning of what we hope to offer our customers over the coming years."
The service uses a combination of fibre optic and coaxial cable technologies.
A fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) set-up connects homes to a cabinet by a fibre optic cable but the new Virgin Media system uses a coaxial connector.
This means that the potential connection speeds are faster than those offered by companies such as Be Broadband.
However, it is not yet fast enough to compete with the new FTTH, which could be available to ten million homes by 2012.
BT announced that it would spend £1.5 billion on developing the service throughout the UK.
Ian Fogg, broadband analyst for Jupiter Research, said: "Until someone builds a fibre network, [Virgin's 50Mbps service] will continue to be the fastest network in the UK."
The UK has some way to go before its internet connections match those of Japan where the average speed is 64Mbps.
Categories: Broadband, Broadband Products, Virgin Media
