Virgin Media's latest broadband speed tests leave Sky, BT and TalkTalk in the dust

Virgin Media is known for its fast broadband, but the supplier has just taken broadband speeds to an entirely new level.

That's because Virgin Media has just delivered multi-gigabit broadband speeds of 2.2Gbps (2,200Mbps), which for context is around 40 times faster than the local average internet connection.

Yes, you read that right. That's not three times faster, or 10 times faster, or even 20 times faster – but 40 times faster broadband speeds than its rivals.

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The rival-smoking speeds, as announced on the official Virgin Media website, have been delivered as part of a proof-of-concept trial in Manchester and Southampton in the UK to show off the power and capability of Virgin Media's fibre-rich network, which hit the 2.2Gbps speed thanks to the adoption of DOCSIS 3.1 technology.

The 40x faster figure comes courtesy of the fact that the Manchester local average broadband speed is 54Mbps and Southampton average is 57.6Mbps according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report 2020, published 17 December 2020.

DOCSIS 3.1, which stands for 'Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification', is an international telecommunications standard that specialises in the addition of high-bandwidth data transfer to an existing cable television (CATV) system.

Speaking on the 2.2Gbps feat, Jeanie York, Virgin Media’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, said: 

"We invest more than £1 billion into our network every year to deliver leading connectivity today, but our talented teams never stop pushing forward to ensure we’re ready to power our customers’ connectivity needs for whatever comes next.

"Our services are being relied on and used more than ever before, and these innovative trials in Manchester and Southampton demonstrate how Virgin Media’s existing network is fit for the future with hyperfast, multi-gigabit broadband speeds delivered straight to customer homes."

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