Cable giant Virgin Media has caused consternation among some of its broadband ISP subscribers after it confirmed that price hikes, which are expected to average around £2.68 a month extra, would be applied to its internet access and phone packages from 1st April 2012 (a wise choice of date by their PR team?).

The move brings Virgin Media more into line with what other operators (e.g. BT , TalkTalk etc.) charge and follows just three weeks after the operator promised, at no extra cost, to at least double its customers broadband speeds (here).


Virgin's price changes page suggest that their basic 10Mbps (L) package will, for example, go up by about £1 per month (£1.50 for the standalone deal). Call charges will also jump by over 10% and their evening period for home phone calls is changing from 6pm - 6am to 7pm - 7am.


The move is likely to be just as unpopular as recent price rises from BT , TalkTalk and many other operators. It comes at a time when the economic crisis is continuing to suppress wages and puts additional pressure on personal / family budgets.