Ask Our Expert

When will Virgin Media double my broadband speed?

Our Broadband Expert says...

Hi Colin,

You'll be pleased to hear it's absolutely true - Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) really will be doubling your broadband speed. You don't need to do anything and it won't cost you extra. But you might a while to wait, as the upgrades will happen gradually over the next 18 months.

I hope that helps, Colin! If you'd like to know more, keep reading for a complete guide to Virgin Media's superfast broadband plan.

Is it true Virgin Media will double my broadband speed?

Yes, it certainly is true. Virgin Media is doubling broadband speeds for more than four million of its customers over the next year and a half. Starting in February 2012, engineers will be upgrading one region at a time until everyone's enjoying twice-as-fast broadband or, in some cases, even better.

Customers with 100Mb broadband already have the fastest widely available service in the UK. Instead of doubling their speed, Virgin Media will increase it to 120Mb. These households will also receive a slight reduction in their monthly bills.

The upgrade only applies to cable customers, like Colin. Sadly, households using Virgin Media's ADSL broadband won’t benefit from the increased speeds.

When is the upgrade coming to my area?

Doubling four million customers' broadband speed is quite a big job, so it obviously won't happen overnight. Virgin Media's team of engineers will be working across the UK to upgrade each region one at a time. Find out when double speeds are coming to your area on Virgin Media's website.

You don't have to do anything, Virgin Media has got it all covered. If you need a new modem to cope with the quicker downloads, someone should be in touch. Once your area has been upgraded, Virgin Media will contract you to confirm that it's up and running.

How fast is my new broadband going to be?

For most Virgin Media customers, the maths is really quite simple. Just double the speed you're getting now - that's how fast your upgraded broadband will be. This applies to subscribers on M, L, XL broadband packages with speeds of up to 30Mb.

Customers that use the XXL package, which has speeds of up to 50Mb, will see their speeds more than double and shoot up to a blistering 120Mb.

Customers already on Virgin Media's 100Mb broadband will also have their top speed increased to 120Mb, and receive a discount on their monthly bill. The table below outlines the main changes taking place as Virgin Media upgrades its service:

You can compare Virgin Media broadband deals at Broadbandchoices.co.uk

Will I have to pay extra?

No. Virgin Media has pledged to upgrade its broadband speeds at no extra cost to customers. Some will actually pay less - subscribers to the fastest package get a smaller boost, but money off their monthly bill to compensate.

Do I have to live in a cable area?

Virgin Media is upgrading its fibre optic network. This means that only customers in cabled areas will be able to benefit from double speeds. Find out if you live in a cable area on Virgin Media's website.

However, you may still have access to Virgin Media broadband even if there's no cable in your area. Just like with other ISPs - such as BT (www.BT.com), Sky (www.Sky.com) and TalkTalk (www.Talktalk.co.uk) - there's a Virgin Media broadband service that comes down a telephone line.

Virgin Media National provides an ADSL broadband connection, which means its delivered by copper wires rather than fibre optic cable. It's not as fast, but makes a good option for anyone living outside the cable regions. But remember, you will need to pay Virgin Media's line rental of £13.90 a month.

I'm not with Virgin Media - can I still get superfast broadband?

Yes. You don't have to be with Virgin Media to enjoy superfast broadband. In a recent study by regulator Ofcom, it emerged that Virgin Media offers the UK's fastest widely available service but a number of rival providers also performed strongly.

For example, BT Infinity, the telecom giant's fibre optic broadband, compares quite well against Virgin Media. While BT's superfast package offers a lower top speed of 40Mb, it provides similar value for money in terms of actual speeds.

As well as Virgin Media and BT, there are fast broadband packages available from Sky, TalkTalk, O2 (www.O2.co.uk) and Plusnet (www.Plus.net) among others. However, an ADSL broadband connection will rarely deliver speeds that match the advertised "up to" amounts. Read our fibre optic broadband guide for more details.

Remember...

It's often possible to save money by switching provider. With the free and impartial Broadbandchoices.co.uk calculator, it's easy to compare prices online. To get started, run a quick postcode search to find broadband deals in your area.

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