Virgin Media O2 broadband customers set for massive speed upgrade

Good news, Virgin Media O2 customers: the company has successfully achieved double its current top speed for fibre broadband, all without upgrading the existing cable network.

The firm reached speeds of 2.2Gbps in trials in Edinburgh and Birmingham, which is double its currently fastest commercially available speed of 1.13Gbps and a whopping 43 times the national average. This matches earlier trials in Southampton and Manchester which achieved the same top speed. 

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That speed, while impressive, isn’t the most exciting thing about the news: it’s the fact that the trial was completed without any upgrades to the infrastructure. 

Without needing to upgrade the cabling, the company can upgrade customers’ top speeds without having to rip up the streets. That, in turn, means that you shouldn’t have to wait as long, because you won’t be in a construction queue: once available, you’ll just need the Hub 4 router, which is already provided with the company’s Gig1 package.

“As the UK’s largest gigabit broadband provider, we’re always looking to go further and faster,” said Virgin Media O2 CTO, Jeanie York. “With our latest multi-gigabit trial in Birmingham and Edinburgh, we’re putting this commitment to innovation into action, demonstrating the true power of our network and getting ready for the technology of tomorrow.”

In the long term, the company has even more ambitious plans, with the aim to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) by 2028, which could provide symmetrical 10Gbps download and upload speeds. 

If you think that you’re getting short changed on your broadband speeds, costs or both, be sure to check out our broadband comparison guide to ensure you’re getting the best possible value for money.