Virgin Media O2 UK Extend FTTP to 6,100 Tyne and Wear Homes
Broadband ISP and TV provider Virgin Media UK (VMO2) has today announced that another 6,100 homes across Tyne and Wear, including in Bruton Park, Newcastle and Longbenton, North Tyneside, have now gained access to their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network.
The operator has so far invested more than £84 million in the North East to connect 140,000 additional homes since its Project Lighting expansion programme began in 2015, which means that a total of over 336,000 premises throughout the region now have access to their network.
Across the UK, VMO2’s Project Lightning build has already extended their network to cover an additional 2.6 million UK premises since 2015/16. The operator’s original network was deployed using Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) technology, but since 2019/20 most of their new build has used FTTP via Radio Frequency Over Glass (RFoG) – both methods make use of the DOCSIS 3.1 standard to harness the same consumer kit.
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In addition, VMO2 recently announced that they intend to upgrade their entire network (including some 14.3 million premises in existing HFC areas) to symmetric speed capable XGS-PON based FTTP by the end of 2028 (here). On top of that they’ve also proposed to expand the reach of their network, using FTTP, to cover c.7 million premises in new areas (here), but no solid plan has been confirmed for that yet.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Agree, 2014 they laid their service just down the road from me in all four directions. Blanked out my estate and started again from there in all four directions and just carried on. Its been like this for 8 years. There is no reason for them to have done that.
Yep agree they rolled out to Bishop Auckland and then stopped 300 m short of my home and this area was the most affluent in the town which they have now totally disregarded. No commercial sense what’s the weather
I’m thinking it’s purely to annoy you Damien. You keep banging on at them and in return they spurn you.
Believe this issue has been right up the escalation chain and back down again with VM declining to extend their build.
VM have done various works around my town lately but we have no VM presence. Given they are all near existing Openreach cabinets wonder if my town is next? I know VM is rubbish but I’d take anything over long line length FTTC! (We are one of the few towns on the South coast without VM)