UPDATE4 Virgin Media UK Boost Broadband Speeds and Add 152Mbps Package

Cable operator Virgin Media appears to be gearing up for another round of broadband speed boosting after its website was updated to mention the launch of a new unlimited 150Mbps 152Mbps (12Mbps upload) service. Similarly a growing number of existing customers are being told to expect a big performance upgrade.

The rumours of an even faster broadband package have been circling for a while now and were re-fuelled during August 2013 by Sony’s hint of a 200Mbps service, which was mooted on the same day that the entertainment giant announced their partnership with Virgin Media for the PlayStation 4’s imminent launch (here).

But now customer who access the members account pages of Virgin Media’s website are being told to expect even faster speeds and an up to 152Mbps package is specifically mentioned. However it looks as if this is all part of a general upgrade strategy, which will see nearly all of their cable customers being given faster speeds.

Tom Mockridge, Virgin Media’s CEO, said:

“As people connect more things simultaneously to the internet more often, they need powerful broadband with the bandwidth to deliver a great experience for everyone in the home. That connection is what we deliver with our unrivalled network. We are boosting speeds again and ensuring our customers can get even more value from their Virgin Media subscription. Our top speed will be twice as fast as BT and all the others reliant on their old copper telephony infrastructure as we extend our lead as Britain’s ultrafast broadband provider.”

The dates seem to vary (normal for a phased deployment) but so far it looks as if 30Mbps subscribers could be getting an upgrade up to 60Mbps 50Mbps. Meanwhile 60Mbps customers will be pushed up to 100Mbps and 100/120Mbps users should be headed for 150Mbps.

The earliest date we have for the start of this upgrade is March 2014 February 2014 but it will almost certainly run until late 2014 and possibly into 2015. Generally Virgin says that their existing broadband customers should expect to receive a download boost of “at least 20Mbps“. But uploads will not be improved and you’ll have to sign-up to a new 12 month contract in order to benefit.

UPDATE 11:45am

Small correction for 30Mbps subscribers (the upgrade will boost to 50Mbps not 60Mbps as we first said). One reader has added that their older 20Mbps service will also be taken to 50Mbps.

No mention of any changes for upload speeds.. yet. We are also expecting a new advertising campaign to help promote the faster speeds.

UPDATE 1:38pm

One of our readers, Sam, has kindly sent us a picture of the notice he received for his 60Mb package via Virgin Media’s website and we’ve re-pasted that below. Still no official word from Virgin’s PR wing but that’s often a sign of an imminent announcement.

As we said earlier the roll-out will be phased so different customers will get different dates depending upon what service you currently have and where you live.

UPDATE 1:47pm

As expected an official press release has just arrived and apparently the top speed will be the very odd figure of 152Mbps, with upgrades due to commence February 2014. We’ve updated the above article accordingly. But since most people would struggle to make full use of 152Mbps then we suspect that this is more about Virgin attempting to keep a strong marketing lead over BT’s rival FTTC solution, which might also see a speed boost by the end of next year.

The PR also states that the volume of Internet traffic enjoyed by Virgin Media customers at peak times has already grown 55% in the past year and around 1000% since the company launched in 2007. It further claims that the amount downloaded by customers each month is now 50% greater than the national average and has increased by a third in just 12 months as they “can do more online with Virgin Media than with the ‘unlimited’ offerings of other major broadband providers which all rely on the BTOpenreach telephony network“.

However the operator also states that it’s starting to write to their customers in order to let them know what this means for them individually as part of their annual review of prices. Apparently some of its services will remain unchanged, such as their home phone talk plans, but “from February customers will see cable bills increase, by 6.7% on average, so we’re looking to help them get more for their money.”

UPDATE 4:05pm

Virgin has confirmed that the roll-out will last for 12 months and if it starts in Feb 2014 as planned then that means completion for early 2015. Customers will also be emailed to confirm when their upgrade is ready or they can login to the MyVirginMedia pages and pre-order their interest for more details.

Some customers will need a new Super Hub router before they can upgrade in 2014 and Virgin has promised to supply that at no extra cost (we suspect that this will mostly apply to the older 30Mbps and slower subscribers).