Virgin Media Set to Open Upgraded Full Fibre Network to UK Customers
Several credible sources have informed ISPreview that broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) is gearing up for an important new product launch, which is expected to occur in March 2025 (delays still possible). The expectation is that this will reflect the opening up of their new XGS-PON powered full fibre network in existing coax (cable) areas to live customers.
The operator is currently in the process of upgrading millions of their legacy Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC / DOCSIS 3.1) powered areas to support the latest Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) technology, which is a programme they’re aiming to complete by 2028. On top of that, they’re separately rolling out the same technology to an additional 5-7 million premises via nexfibre (this can already reach 2 million premises).
Despite this, Virgin Media has so far only made nexfibre’s newly built XGS-PON network available to new customers, while those existing customers in HFC (non-nexfibre) areas (c.16 million premises) are NOT currently able to access or order packages using their XGS-PON upgraded areas (aka – Project Mustang / Fibre Up). The latter includes those served by Virgin’s older Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) based FTTP lines.
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Admittedly, most of their HFC / RFOG areas have yet to see the XGS-PON upgrade take place (it’s a multi-year upgrade programme, costing c.£100 per premises), but several million premises do now have both Virgin’s HFC / RFOG and XGS-PON networks existing side-by-side. The fact that XGS-PON is just sitting there, doing absolutely nothing (i.e. not generating revenue), makes very little sense. But that may, finally, be about to change.
Several credible sources have informed ISPreview that Virgin Media is gearing up to launch new products in March 2025 (although delays are still possible). The expectation is that this will also involve making their network upgrade (XGS-PON) areas, at least those that have been fully completed, available to customers for the first time.
ISPreview has seen no indication of any bulk automated HFC to XGS-PON upgrade plans, which would be very difficult due to the need for an engineer visit (e.g. installing an optical modem / ONT inside homes). Instead, this is likely to be a much more organic process, with the change only occurring when customers choose to upgrade or re-contract their package.
However, this is not strictly the first time that Virgin Media has made their XGS-PON upgrade areas available, since a brief test or soft launch also appeared to occur late last year. Several customers reported that they had been upgraded via a door-step sold trial in selected areas, which gave them 6 months of free service and £200 worth of Amazon vouchers alongside an FTTP package (most appeared to have got Virgin’s 2Gbps package). But we understand this was paused due to problems with Virgin’s ordering/billing system, which have hopefully now been ironed out.
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The official line from Virgin Media on all this is, of course, “no comment“, which is generally what they seem to say for absolutely every query we send their way about future products. Finally, we should point out that Virgin Media are also gearing up to make these same XGS-PON upgrade areas available to wholesale during the first half of 2025, but we don’t yet know precisely when that will occur (we suspect much later in the spring than March, but you never know).
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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Currently in an HFC area but would definitely want to upgrade to XGS-PON when it becomes available but they need to get Modem Only Mode working on the Hub 5X (or convert to an ONT based method) so people can use their own networking equipment without being double NAT’ed
Also shame they’re not rolling out native IPv6 with the XGS-PON rollout too
Can confirm, no modem mode or IPv6. It is fast though, 2Gbps symmetric user here.
Look up WAS-110 and 8311 and masquerade as VM router.
Dead in the water without modem mode on the HUB 5X for me. There are SFP ways round this, but no guarantee VM will lock those out once it discovers people doing that, it IS possible.
Also lack of ipv6 is just plain stupid on their new network, how many years this been around now….
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I read elsewhere that it was doable now?
“Despite this, Virgin Media has so far only made nexfibre’s newly built XGS-PON network available to customers”
Available to new customers?
Yes, although there are niche situations where an existing customer in an HFC area might move into a nexfibre area.
This chimes with what I was told by a gaggle of VM network engineers huddled around one of the main Xgs-pon cabinets in Cardiff who said Go Live was due by April. Just modem mode on the Hub 5x and customer service generally to be sorted out now.
Virgin media will never have good customer service, it’s the thing just paid me off the most.
Yeah seen the cabs finish having power rolled out to them, probably take them as my second line option once modem mode is sorted
I saw them upgrading this area months ago. Odd to sit on such a big investment for all this time with multiple competitors now. Only a year ago they were the only provider able to offer high speed internet here (100+ MBit) now there is CityFibre and Openreach fibre. I’ll never go back to Virgin the ISP but the wholesale aspect could be interesting as a fallback if CityFibre did fail.
We have Virgin HFC to be upgraded, half the town is active on cityfibre, open reach will upgrade at some point and BRSK are currently building
That will be a total of 4x XGS-PON networks, With what virgin etc are currently charging they will have some stiff competition.
Even if CityFibre (and it’s a big if) did fail as a company I doubt if the network would go dark overnight, I would expect in the first instance Ofcom would step in to ensure everyone get getting service. Then I would expect someone to step in and buy the assets and continue operating as a new company.
I’m guessing the TV service is the main reason why they don’t to some sort of automatic upgrade?
TV via the new network will be quite different.
Why would they automatically upgrade, it’s the same as the early days of BT FTTC vs FTTP.
XGS-PON is currently IPTV only with no telephony offered
So if I’m in a hfc AREA and i order in March, i will get XGS? Is this correct?
I wouldn’t do that. Historically, Virgin Media’s front line support/sales has tended to be a bit out of the loop when new services launch, so I’d wait until they make an official announcement and then give it an extra couple of weeks after they go-live.
Only if the local area has been updated to XGS-PON. I just changed my package to Gig1, but I am still on HFC. The (very knowledgeable) engineer (he is also the trainer and area lead) stated HFC won’t be replaced here until next year. So if you are on HFC, you can get whatever packages are offered on HFC, but you won’t automatically get XGS-PON until they do the change. Best to check before ordering that your area has been changed.
The devil is in the detail. If your area is served by their new network, the package names on their availability checker mention full fibre in their name. Also, 2Gbps and synchronous up and down speeds are only on their new network.
The problem with Virgin/NextFibre FTTP is it is significantly more expensive than CtiyFibre FTTP. And CityFibre has better brand trust than Virgin does. I just cannot see how they think anyone will take this up.
This seems to fit in with what I’m being told by the local Virgin sales rep at the new house we just got
Says there has been upgrades in the area recently and got a letter saying the same but there is already Virgin installed so wonder if this is what they are on about?
We’ve had the new pilar cabinets next to the HFC cabinets now for a few years!
Last few weeks theyve sprayed on code to the front. Seen them working at it once too.
Just ordered Youfibre though, so not too bothered.
Well, this aged like milk.
My road was serviceable for XGS-PON since December before they changed their mind last week. I wouldn’t hold your breath people.
As a customer of vm in a xgs pon area it’s not even slightly ready yet. The network reliability has been really poor. Their hardware is a joke (broken modem mode), poor wifi boxes, there no voice line support there was no multiroom on the tv (until really recently so sorry but had to goto another provider for tv).
All for £90 a month. The only reason I went with them is where I live it’s them or 40mbit fttc and when it’s compared to 2gig symeticrical I needed that. I ended up buying a was-110 and ditching their router and terminating the fibre into my unifi setup.
I’m praying for a recent speed package from another provider when my contract is up as if there is I’ll switch in a heartbeat.
Been on Virgin nexfibre for nearly a year, reliability and speeds have been spot on. Modem mode is not a big deal for me, access to symmetrical upload is.
We have rfog here, but no signs of an upgraded system here in Birchington.
We’re in a RFoG area, they installed the network back in 2023 here. Full fibre all the way to the wall box outside. So, if I am reading this right, RFoG areas “might” get XGS-PON from next month, if there are no delays? If that is the case, I am gutted that modem mode is not a thing, but the ONT on SFP is quite an interesting approach, seen tons of videos from the US people using it there.
VM is pretty much the only “fibre” provider here, BT is still on FTTC, stuck at 80/20, with earliest plans to install fttp in 2028 lol.
As other comments have explained, the physical build needs to have occurred in your area before you can order. Not all of the RFoG area is preenabled for XGSPON yet
For £90 a month Virgin is around 3 times the cost of its FTTH competitors (with reliable real fiber services), and I dare not comprehend their locked-in-contracts at Virgin these days (the ones where they put it up every April still).
So hopefully people will see the light and steer well clear of the greedy corporate charlatans.
Does this include the part of Norwich where Upp built their network before being bought by VM/nexfibre?