UK ISP Virgin Media Business has decided to change its contracting model to provide the wholesale connectivity market with greater flexibility and lower costs when customers take out one of their Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access (leased line) or High Capacity Services (HCS). Excess construction charges will also be “abolished.”
The changes mean that, from June 2021, VMB will offer the aforementioned high capacity data products on a cancel anytime, flexible contract term. Excess construction charges for network builds will also be abolished, and pricing will be benchmarked against acquisition prices to “give customers value for life.” The vast majority of installation charges will also be removed, meaning most circuits can be booked with nothing to pay upfront.
On top of all this a price refresh will be taking place, which aims to “offer rates equivalent to today’s most competitive multi-year contracts.” In other words, the cancel anytime ethernet, leased line and HCS contracts will be benchmarked, with prices automatically adjusted in line with the latest acquisition pricing. “This will give partners confidence they are consistently receiving the best priced circuits, without ever having to renegotiate,” said VMB.
Mike Hallam, Executive Director of Wholesale at VMB, said:
“We’re ripping up the rulebook to give our customers flexibility and the best prices guaranteed.
We’re stepping up for our partners with this radical shift so they have the confidence, cashflow and commercial agility they need to help their customers bounce back stronger than ever.”
According to VMB, the changes have been introduced in response to customer requests for more flexibility after an uncertain year. The new contracts will “provide partners with the agility they need to support customers transitioning to hybrid working, helping them to launch new operations while minimising risk.”
Let’s hope this can push another EAD price drop
No word on when VMB are going to get DOCSIS 3.1 like they have on the consumer side?
DOCSIS 3.1 or GTA6? which one, you think we’ll see first?
Oddly enough, due to working from home, the former is helping the latter.
Wouldn’t come back to vm if it were the last company on this earth. There isn’t enough room in this box to explain the way I have been treated by virgin media
You know, I think the same, however due to the monopoly of UK Broadband you have so little choice you are forced to make do with something you’d rather not.
Case in point, I left Virgin nearly 2 years ago not because the service was ever bad (hell, I got 108Mbps 24/7) but because the couldn’t sort the billing out correctly every single month.
Now after spending that time on the UK’s poor excuse for 4G (which delivers what the carriers want it to deliver, not what its actually capable of delivering) and having no FTTP in sight for the next 2 decades, I’m left with the unenviable choice of BT’s pathetic “pretend fibre” or go back to Virgin.
Rock and hard place eh…….
All very easy for VM to do this while buinesses have their employees WFH more and more. How about making prices and contracts more reasonable and flexible for those whose finances are directly inpacted by the price of VM services – those confined to their home offices?
Or how about allowing your residential customers “flexible contracts” perhaps? (After all it’s not unheard of for Virgin doesn’t put the price up for residential customers “in contract” anyway!)
Still, we known damn well, that’ll NEVER happen.
Good to see VMB competing with…erm.. themselves.