Virgin Media has doubled the maximum download speed for almost one million users, offering speeds of over 2,000Mbps — that’s 28x faster than the average home broadband speed in the UK.
Dubbed Gig2, Virgin Media says its supercharged new broadband plan will let you download the complete second series of The Traitors in just 30 seconds.
That same download would take over 14 minutes on the average UK broadband connection.
And the difference becomes even more stark when it comes to gaming.
Call of Duty, one of the most popular franchises with PlayStation, PC, and Xbox players, regularly issues gargantuan updates. Downloading the 240GB file required to play Modern Warfare III, the latest entry in the series, on PS5 takes over seven-and-a-half hours on a standard broadband connection, but Virgin Media’s Gig2 cuts that down to just 16 minutes.
Virgin Media has tweaked its Hub 5 Wi-Fi router with a 10Gbps Ethernet port, improved energy efficiency, and more recycled materials in its design
VIRGIN MEDIA PRESS OFFICEInitially tested in a small-scale trial last year, Gig2 is powered by a full-fibre broadband network courtesy of a partnership between Virgin Media O2 and nexfibre. Virgin Media’s own broadband infrastructure, which relies on the same network of cables used to power its paid-TV offering, maxes out at 1,130Mbps.
Roughly 16 million homes are connected with the existing Virgin Media infrastructure. However, nexfibre now offers full-fibre connections to roughly one million homes across Belfast, Cardiff, London and Glasgow.
More addresses will be added in the future as Virgin Media works with the fibre network to expand.
If you want to upgrade to the speedy new internet connection, you can check if your postcode is eligible for Virgin Media Gig2 on its website.
Virgin Media is charging £84 per month for its speediest Gig2 connection. In comparison, its Gig1 broadband package is currently on sale for £48 a month.
If you need faster uploads, Virgin Media is offering users the opportunity to spend an extra £6 per month to unlock symmetrical speeds, which guarantees uploads as fast as downloads. For those with a Gig2 connection, that means you’ll be able to upload files at speeds of over 2,000Mbps.
Upload speeds limit how quickly you can back up photos to the cloud, for example. This is also what impacts the quality of the video sent from your camera during FaceTime and WhatsApp calls. As the name suggests, download speeds impact anything that you’re downloading or streaming from the internet. This is what you’ll need to increase to enjoy a buffer-free binge on Disney+ and Netflix.
Alongside its new speeds, Virgin Media has announced a tweaked Wi-Fi router, dubbed Hub 5x. From the outside, it looks identical to the existing Hub 5 that ships with all Gig1 connections, but the internals have been upgraded to support the XGS-PON broadband technology used by nexfibre to enable those eye-watering speeds across its full-fibre network.
Virgin Media says the Hub 5x is its most energy-efficient router yet, built from 100% recycled plastic. It will also enable fast and reliable connections with support for Wi-Fi 6. It also has an Ethernet port capable of delivering wired speeds of 10Gbps.
Speaking about the launch, Virgin Media O2 Chief Technology Officer Jeanie York said: “Virgin Media O2 has always been at the forefront of innovation to provide hyperfast and next-generation connectivity to homes in the UK, and Gig2 is our latest speed venture which will unlock endless opportunities for future technologies and the ever-changing digital needs of our customers.
“Gig2 will operate across nexfibre’s XGS-PON, full fibre network which will support symmetrical download and upload speeds – a first for a major UK broadband provider as an optional add-on – and will enable users to send and receive data, files and much more at the blink of an eye.
“With our heritage in providing cutting-edge technology and hyperfast broadband speeds, which saw us complete the UK’s first national gigabit rollout programme, we are looking forward to taking Gig2 to more areas in the near future.”
Both Gig1 and Gig2 plans come with Virgin Media’s WiFi guarantee, known as WiFi Max, at no extra cost. Similar to minimum guaranteed speeds for wired connections, this offers a minimum download speed of 30Mbps in every room of your house or Virgin will offer £100 off your bills.
You can add WiFi Max to any Virgin Media broadband contract for £8 per month.
Sky Broadband offers a similar service, known as Broadband Boost, which guarantees a minimum of 3Mbps in every room of your house, or it will refund one month’s subscription cost.
Rajiv Datta, Chief Executive Officer of nexfibre, said: “nexfibre’s full fibre network, powered by XGS-PON technology, provides a platform for progress, as demonstrated by Virgin Media O2’s exciting new Gig2 service with symmetrical speed options. As our roll-out continues at pace, we’re looking forward to empowering more consumers and businesses with the benefits of our significant investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure.”
Virgin Media’s Gig2 speeds are certainly impressive, but they’re not the fastest on the market right now. Full-fibre broadband suppliers like Community Fibre and Zzoommoffer 3Gbps and 2Gbps for customers on their network, which is separate from BT-owned Openreach’s nationwide network.
The latter is used by BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, and Plusnet to connect customers to fibre broadband and typically maxes out at speeds of roughly 900Mbps. However, EE recently launched 1.6Gbps download speeds with its flagship new broadband package.
