Virgin Media Business UK Customers Start Seeing Faster Uploads
Some business customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media Business UK (VMO2) are now reporting that they too have seen a modest uplift in upload speeds over the past week, which suggests that the forthcoming speed boosts won’t be limited to those on Virgin Media’s residential M100 and M200 packages.
Back in August 2022 we reported that Virgin Media appeared to be making network changes that were effectively laying the groundwork for a future improvement in upload speeds on their residential platform (here). We followed that this month by revealing that a number of the provider’s packages would see an uplift to both their download and upload speeds (M100 and M200), most likely at the start of next month (here).
Since then, a number of customers on the provider’s Virgin Media Business packages have this week informed ISPreview that they too have had an additional DOCSIS 3.1 channel enabled for upstream. At present VMB’s packages tend to offer a maximum upload speed of 50Mbps (the profile rate for this is a bit faster), but some customers on their top ‘Voom Gig1‘ package with the operator’s latest Hitron Chita router are now seeing faster speeds.
The feedback suggests that those on the aforementioned package (and with the extra upstream channel enabled – usually after a router reboot) are now seeing upstream speeds being pushed up to almost 100Mbps (the real-world range tends to be 60-95Mbps). But it’s often wise to treat such things as live trials until confirmed, since both VMB and VM have a history of testing speed boosts – often weeks or months before something goes live.
At present, it’s not known whether VMB will officially introduce their speed uplift at the same time as they introduce the changes for residential customers, but in the past they’ve tended to trail behind.
Update on Residential Speeds
Elsewhere, some of Virgin Media’s residential customers on their M100 and M200 plans have started to report that the previously leaked speed boosts are already going live (VM Community Forum). For example, those on M100 (due to become M125) are now seeing a maximum profile rate of around 143Mbps download and 22Mbps upload (the upstream boost here is bigger than we expected).
Similarly, VM’s customers on M200 (due to become M250) are starting to see an uplift (max profile rate) to 275-283Mbps download and 26-27Mbps upload (previously 220Mbps / 21Mbps). We should point out that even those with the operator’s older SuperHub 3 router (this is NOT a DOCSIS 3.1 device like Hub 4 and Hub 5) are reporting some improvement to their speed profiles.
In theory, if Virgin Media are indeed utilising the additional DOCSIS 3.1 upstream channel on their Hub 4, 5 and Hitron Chita routers, then we should also see a small but welcome improvement in connection latency (confirming this is a bit harder and requires a larger data sample).
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 and Linkedin.
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I’m on 200mbs product and after a month of poor service I’m seeing downloads ~300mbs and uploads upto 60mbs but settling -25mbs
I’d gladly pay for more upload.
Hopefully toob or hey broadband will be here soon and I can get symmetrical 1g.
I’ve been an off and on ntl/ virgin customer a long time and will take any opportunity to ditch them.
Cityfibre are slowly reaching all the surrounding areas where I live, not sure what it’s like around the rest of the country. I would switch to one of these providers with higher upload speeds in an instant if it became available
Agree, VM has been pretty good in my area, but their HFC network has always had spikes with power levels and SNR plummeting after area work and requiring intervention through tech visits or forward path attenuators.
The upload speeds have been terrible on VM, I am wanting upload more than download right now, as off-site and cloud backups are quicker for a start.
As soon as Netominia are here I’m off despite my current 1gbps deal with Virgin being very reasonable due to a retentions deal. The debacle over giving out HUB5 to customers on lesser tiers and new customers against what they originally published is primary reason though, the slower upload was just the cherry…
Virgin needs really speed-up with network/technology upgrade. As far as I can see most if not all of their customers are only awaiting for altnets to finish building their infrastructure around their places to switch.
yup most have those sentiments for both BT and VM. both networks have mistreated their customers not for years but for decades. Handing out the bare minimum of network investment and upgrades only when necessary and trapping them in legalise / shady as hell terms & conditions.
An altnet is going live soon near where I am and if they do, I won’t be going back to BT / VM for at least a decade.
100% agree they have took advantage of the UK broadband situation for too long and I can’t wait to leave cityfibre just finished building here and opened preorders this month for 1/1 up and down the providers on their network are offering amazing deals compared to virgin
I disagree. Most people don’t care about upload speeds. Obviously everyone reading articles on this site does but that’s a very small niche of people inside an echo chamber. Most people care about price only, some care about the service or what it bundles. VM has great bundle offers specially at quad play and the top of end of the market. I think some people will certainly switch to an altnet if it was available in their area but they got to be/want to be cord cutters. Live sports is still controlled by Sky and BT. Would I switch to an altnet if I could? I would love to have a symetric 1gb line but I have little use for it really. I already have 1gb download with VM with decent performance and ping times. I am on the VM Ultimate Volt bundle paying £80/month. Just allowing £ 20 for the O2 unlimited data/min/text SIM with free roaming on 76 countries/regions and £ 11 for Netflix will take the equivalent monthly price to £ 49. The cheapest 1Gb is £ 25 so I am paying £ 24 for all the telephone line, TV channels, Sky Sports, BT Sports and Sky Cinema. Seems like a pretty good deal to me since I value the sports channels.
No change for me sadly.
Just did a speedtest: 111/9.6 same as it’s always been. I would really enjoy some extra upload.
Did you rebooted the router before the test? The router needs to download the new profile
Our office broadband is Virgin Gig1 with a Hitron hub. We seem to be getting 100Mbps upload at the moment. Although, I must admit, I didn’t even notice an upgrade. Probably as I’m not doing any heavy uploading that would take advantage of it.
Can’t comment on speeds as since switching from hub3 to chita Modem, haven’t had a phone land-line service or consistent Internet supply. Powerlines which have worked perfectly for years frequently have “no Internet” error and the modem has to be rebooted several times a day to reconnect to the broadband (by being fully unplugged, resets on the modem itself don’t work). Fault team finally raised a ticket on 3rd phonecall on my insistence that I wanted to have the ticket number, and closed the ticket saying they rang and left us a message…. on a phone line that doesn’t work…) one of the people I spoke to gave his name as Relph Lauren, though his email was Ralphlaurenpolo. You couldn’t make it up
Same here for landline not working with the Chita. I’m in regular contact with VMB, the engineers view: “landlines don’t work with the Chita” whereas the management view is: “we are unaware of any widespread issues with landlines connecting to the Chita”. They are unaware because engineer feedback isn’t being passed upwards. Their sales team are still selling it as a working product which is borderline unethical. Management offered to downgrade me back to the Hitron but I declined, that does not fix the problem it just shuts me up!
The really sad thing is, ispreview has to get info. From 3rd party because there’s no clear indication who is actually in charge at virgin, just try leaving or calling them, there’s all sorts of call centres in foreign countries, and nobody can tell you what’s actually going on…
I’m currently trying to get other family members to switch from virgin to hyperoptic, virgin don’t make it easy to leave, now something about 28days notice to cancel, in otherwords a month extra higher, offcontract price before they leave.
Virgin is run by corporate America, and they know how to milk it, I left nearly 2 years ago as soon as openreach put fibre in my street, and Andrew&Arnold are just perfect for my needs. I’m sure bt, being part of the big 6 (all offering similar experiences), I would have poorer experience.
Thanks ispreview, I only heard of A&A from here… my internet is functional and unrestricted again just like back in the days.
VM has always been a 30 day notice to leave. Not sure what you’re thinking of but that has been the case probably longer than you’ve walked the earth
I’m on gig1 with VM (no alternative) and have a superhub 4. Definitely noticed improved latency since the 3.1 upstream switch on (a single QAM8 channel plus extra 3.0 channel). It’s not so much a lowering of the minimum latency but a smoothing of spikes. My BQM has been pretty rock solid compared to how it was before.
Don’t know if it’s due to the 3.1 channel though – probably more likely just a general result of added upstream capacity over the network in general.
But hey, it’s definitely an improvement!
So in your opinion and experience voom 1gig gives you no problems at all anymore? Did you get the Hitron business router? Im on the fence between BT Gfast 300 and Virgin Voom 1gig, and both apparently 50ish upload. Virgin reliability, slow pings, and slow support/problem solving is what worries me aboutr Virgin before signing a long term as just on paper Virgin wins on download speed alone.
I can confirm that after rebooting my Hub 3, I am getting exactly 137 mbps down and 21 mbps up, speed tested multiple times to my router. I am on M100.
Was with Virgin for 6 years or so but left them 18 months ago for Cityfibre due to the poor upload speeds. Now getting 500mbps up & down. No issues with Cityfibre so far.
I just rebooted my superhub2 m100 package now i have 143mbps/22mbps in the config file. Reboot your routers to get the upgrade.
I’m a couple of years away from seeing my area get FTTP capabilities so in the meantime I have a choice of either really poor FTTC service or sticking with my Virgin Media Gig1 service. I’d love VM to have some competition because it is comparatively expensive compared to the symmetric 1Gig service a local provider is slowly rolling out in my town. But if VM can improve the 20:1 ratio of its current Gig1 service from its current 1000mbps:50mbps to 1000mbps:100mbps then I will be very happy.
My Gigabit Business Broadband was finally activated today (one week plus after the router was delivered) and I am impressed. Peak time and I’m seeing 970mbps down with a SURPRISING 105mbps upload that I was not expecting ! Good Job Virgin, shame about the week wasted wondering why the new router wasn’t working 🙁 😉
As per my comment in another article, I have VM Business Voom 800, downstream speeds are above 850 Mbps and uploads max out at 86.6 Mbps.