Virgin Media O2 has switched on a further one-and-a-half million homes to its gigabit network.
Customers within Virgin’s Gig1 broadband service, with average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, the fastest speed available from a major broadband provider in the UK.
The latest switch-on includes upgrades for residents in Bournemouth, Bristol, Northampton, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Wigan and York. In all 8 million homes can receive the enhanced service, a figure that’s expected to rise to 15 million by the end of the year.
Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We are upgrading the UK to next-generation connectivity and today we’re hitting another important milestone with more than half of our network now able to access gigabit speeds.
“As the UK’s largest gigabit broadband provider today, with a clear plan to connect our entire network to these speeds by the end of the year, we’ll be delivering most of the Government’s broadband target ahead of schedule. Our continued investment is propelling the country up gigabit league tables and providing consumers with the connectivity they need both now and in future.”
Virgin is investing £10 billion over the next five years. The company has also recently announced its intention to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) with completion in 2028. The technology is capable of delivering symmetrical 10Gbps download and upload speeds.