Virgin Media set to supercharge UK broadband speeds

Every customer connected to Virgin Media’s cable network will have access to gigabit broadband speeds from 2021, it has been confirmed.
More than one million people will have access before the end of 2019, with Southampton – which has hosted trials of the technology - one of the first locations to get the upgrade. More cities will be added over the coming months and years.
Crucially, customers will not have to have any physical line upgrades to enable the new speeds, which Virgin Media says will help meet growing customer demand for data-intensive applications such as cloud gaming, 4K and 8K streaming, and Virtual Reality.
Virgin Media 1Gbps
“This is a giant digital leap forward for the UK,” said Lutz Schüler, Virgin Media CEO.
“Virgin Media has been the unparalleled speed leader for many years. Very soon, for the first time ever, millions of people right across the country will be able to experience hyperfast and reliable gigabit internet connections thanks to the latest technology and the power of our network.
“This upgrade plan will see gigabit speeds rolled out at an unrivalled pace right across the country, bringing our customers the future-proof connections of tomorrow.”
Virgin Media says the upgrades will help meet growing customer demand for data-intensive applications, such as cloud gaming, 4K and 8K streaming, and Virtual Reality, while also enabling business use cases such as telepresence and remote health services.
The network upgrade and expansion programme is designed to maintain speed advantage that Virgin Media has over other providers – at least for the time being – and to increase competition in areas served by the Openreach wholesale network used by the likes of BT, Sky and TalkTalk.
The company has embarked on major network upgrade and expansion projects over the past few years as it looks to up its speeds across the country, which along with consumer use cases will also enable business use cases such as telepresence and remote health services.
It has rolled out DOCSIS 3.1 technology across its existing cable infrastructure and hopes to increase its footprint to around 17 million homes and businesses once the £3 billion ‘Project Lightning’ is completed.
Earlier this year, Virgin Media successfully trialled 8Gbps in Cambridgeshire.
“This represents a key step in future-proofing its cable network infrastructure,” said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst with PP Foresight.
“This is a sensible move as telcos margins are being squeezed. Therefore, they need to be much smarter with their network investments.
“Arguably, this move should have come sooner but will bring about plentiful benefits to Virgin Media customers for potentially a few quid more.”
It has been speculated that parent company Liberty Global is seeking investor partners for a joint venture to invest in Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) technology across the UK.
This follows earlier rumours that Liberty is concerned that investments made by other providers in FTTP might erode its long-standing speed advantage and that a move into wholesale - a market that offers lower margins but also presents an opportunity for greater market share - would be a more optimal strategy.
source techradar
Industry: Telecommunications

Latest Jobs
-
- Network Security Engineer
- Germany
- €550 a day
-
German- based contract opportunity This is an onsite based position, we would need the Network Security engineer to be able to work on the client site 5 days a week Seeking an experienced Network Security Engineer for a leading technology company. Strong expertise in firewall/IPS solutions, proxy solutions, and certificate management is required. Good hands-on experience in networking and web-related technologies necessary. Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure are essential. we are looking for a Network Security Engineer with the following experience: · Expertise in Administration, Management & Troubleshooting of Firewall / IPS solutions / Proxy solutions/Certificate Management Solutions · Good Hands-on Experience on security devices (PaloAlto/ /McAfee Proxy/CISCO ISE/Certificate Management) · Good Hands-on Experience in Networking with skills of switching, routing & wireless Technologies · Familiarity with web related technologies (Web applications, Web Services, Service Oriented Architectures) and of network/web related protocol · Configuration of NAT / PAT, firewall policies, profiling, objects, AD-Integration, backup – restore · Knowledge of Subnetting TCP/IP Communication, VLSM Configuration of VLAN VTP · Configuration of Routing Protocols e.g. RIPv1 & v2, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP Knowledge of standard and extended ACL 12 month contract
-
- IAM Consultant
- N/A
- Upto £110,000 depending on level of position
-
Identity Access Management (IAM) Consultant Location: Germany We are seeking an experienced IAM consultants in Germany. we are looking for people from consultant through to Architect, The ideal candidate will have previous IAM deployment experience and be fluent in German. Key responsibilities: Design and implement IAM solutions for clients Provide expertise on industry best practices and standards Troubleshoot and resolve IAM-related issues Work closely with clients to understand their business requirements and provide solutions to meet those needs Qualifications: Previous deployment experience with IAM solutions Fluency in German Strong understanding of IAM technologies and principles Excellent communication and project management skills If you are an experienced IAM consultant with a strong track record of delivering successful projects, please apply today.
-
- ForgeRock Consultant
- Spain
- Upto €85000 plus benefits
-
ForgeRock deployment consultant is needed for this expanding IT Services business within Spain, to act as their ForgeRock technical lead, Responsibilities include: High level and low level design, Scoping the techical needs of the project design, configure, develop and test the forgeRock deployment. We are looking for a strong IAM consultant ideally with ForgeRock experience, Must have strong Oauth 2.0, SAML and API experience
-
- IAM Consultant
- France
- Upto €85000 plus benefits
-
An Identity & Access Management Consultant is needed for an expanding IT Security consultancy, based in France. (Remote role with monthly office meet-ups) The Identity & Access Management Consultant will be responsible for the technical design and implementation of Identity & Access Management/IAM products for a wide variety of clients. Deliver bespoke end-to-end consultancy service to our clients, from gathering requirements through to implementation. Work in a close team designing, developing, and implementing first-class IAM solutions. Manage client relationships, working closely with key stakeholders to continually evaluate business requirements and ensure the highest quality solution delivery. If you are interested we are looking for an individual with Previous experience working within the IAM or CIAM field is essential, Strong knowledge with SAML and Oauth and ideally OpenID Previous experience from any of these technologies: One Identity, SailPoint, Saviynt, Ubisecure, Ping Identity, would be advantageous