Virgin Media O2 has finished rolling out gigabit-capable connections across its entire network, now reaching 15.5 million premises.
The latest activation brought gigabit speeds to an additional 1.1 million homes. Customers on the company’s Gig1 plan can now enjoy ultrafast performance with an average download speed of 1,130 Mbps — roughly 22 times faster than the current national average.
While such speeds exceed the needs of most present-day applications, they significantly reduce large game and software download times and provide headroom for next-generation services, such as immersive VR/AR and other future digital experiences.
Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“Just two years ago we set out to spearhead the UK’s gigabit revolution and today we’ve delivered. Our investment to bring gigabit broadband to every home on our network has catapulted the UK’s digital infrastructure forward by a decade and forced others to up their game.
As the country’s largest gigabit provider by far, we’re the driving force behind widespread gigabit availability four years ahead of the government’s target.”
The UK government’s target aims for at least 85 percent of premises to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025.
Nadine Dorries, UK Digital Secretary, commented:
“Getting high-speed broadband into everyone’s homes is a top priority and Virgin Media O2’s efforts mean we’re making quick progress in our mission to level up the UK with better connectivity.
We must ensure that rural areas are not left behind, which is why alongside industry’s rollout we’re investing up to £5 billion to make top-of-the-range speeds available in hard-to-reach communities.”
Virgin Media O2 has pledged to invest at least £10 billion in the UK over the next five years.
Schüler added: “Having reached this major milestone in just two years, we’re doubling down on our mission to upgrade the UK by continuing to innovate and invest in our network to support the technologies of tomorrow – there’s no slowing down at Virgin Media O2.”
The company recently completed a real-world trial demonstrating that its existing network can deliver speeds up to 2.2 Gbps. Virgin Media O2 also plans to transition its network to full fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) by 2028, which could enable symmetrical 10 Gbps download and upload speeds in the future.
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