Hints of 5Gbps Broadband and Package Tweaks from Virgin Media UK
In recent weeks ISPreview has started to see more indications that customers of UK ISP Virgin Media (O2), particularly those covered by their XGS-PON based Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband lines (either via coax upgrades or nexfibre), may soon see a package refresh and possibly even the launch of a 5000Mbps (5Gbps) symmetric speed tier.
A fair bit of time has passed since Virgin Media launched their fastest 2Gbps package to consumers in February 2024 (here) and the market has already moved on, with quite a few ISPs on alternative networks now offering even faster multi-gigabit broadband tiers.
For example, some operators like Netomnia (YouFibre) and B4RN have had 7-10Gbps class packages for a while, while CityFibre made a 5.5Gbps tier available in June 2025 (here) and even Openreach are looking to trial speeds of up to 8.5Gbps next year (here); although they’re officially planning to support symmetric product speeds of up to 3.3Gbps (here); albeit possibly up to c.5Gbps too in the future.
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Suffice to say that Virgin Media were hardly going to let that play out without a response, particularly as only a few years ago they could still boast about being “the UK’s fastest widely available broadband provider“. This would of course be a much more challenging claim to make today, particularly with so many ISPs now selling multi-gigabit packages via multiple networks.
What’s Coming Up?
According to our sources, Virgin Media are currently preparing to make changes to their bundles, which among other things looks as if it may remove their 125Mbps broadband tier and make 250Mbps the standard (when bundled with TV). On top of that, we’ve separately been seeing more indications of a possible 5Gbps package being in development.
For example, when setting up new connections in XGS-PON areas, the operator’s engineers typically use a special tablet to check the service. Some of the output from this now clearly shows “Broadband: 5000Mbps | Upload: 5000Mbps” for related lines (credits to YuGi for the evidence). But it should be noted that 5Gbps has been a profile data point in their internal API for a while now, although we’ve not seen it presented like this before.
However, we have already seen the provider’s Irish division introduce a 5Gbps tier during July 2025 (following a soft launch in Feb 2025), which is relevant because Virgin Media UK has recently had a tendency to follow Ireland’s lead. For example, VM Ireland launched 2Gbps in June 2023 and the UK followed about 8-9 months later. If the same trend repeats for 5Gbps, then a launch could come in a few months time.
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A spokesperson for Virgin Media told ISPreview that they had “nothing to announce on this right now“, but readers should expect some changes soon, even if it’s currently unclear whether or when 5Gbps itself might surface. We should point out that Virgin Media’s existing Hub 5x router already has a 10Gbps Ethernet port, so it wouldn’t necessarily require new CPE kit.
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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Has the 5x unit been fixed for modem mode?
I’m not sure they even fixed the normal hub5 so that the 2.5g port works xD
Nope, not likely to ever be done.
You’d be better switching to Giffgaff as they have an ONT you can connect your own router to.
Not by Virgin Media as far as I’m aware, although some customers have their own workaround, as has been alluded to a number of times on this platform.
No. It doesn’t look imminent either. Going down the giffgaff broadband route might be a possible solution.
Dead in the water for me without modem mode. Shouldn’t have to use their router in router or modem mode anyway, they should have just issued an ONT.
The people that would have above 2gbps are mostly people who would like to use their own router, not the garbage supplied by VM.
@Fibre Scriber
Isn’t that the SFP module with some firmware on it which can be bought for around £100?
Honestly though, I’m just going to wait for Giffgaff to go live where I live after my contract is up since I’m happy with 900mbps symmetrical.
@phill
Yeh the 2.5gb port works fine on the normal hub5
@tech3456: Think you are making the right choice, why pay £100 when you will have a ONT with GiffGaff. The module that’s used runs pretty hot, with some having a fan trained on it.
*@tech3475 — all fingers and thumbs. 🙂
Maybe in 2027…
While us UK customers may want it, I hear LG aren’t interested in developing it.
at some point I too was excited about the XGN-POS rollouts from VM, but seems as my area has 1gbps FTTC it means my area is very low on the priority list for the upgrades. I would do anything to be able to finally use symettrical FTTP 2gbps or 5gbps, but reckon for my area essex reackon it be 2028 to 2030. Also those dates keep getting pushed back so I ben they are extended more before then. But seems its not just VM with the slow rollouts, BT is in the same boat, they have been promissing a client of mine of there symettrical upgrade that before xmas was due for feb march 2025 but its Oct now and still no change.
Granted I have almost no experience of the tech vm use on there HFC networks bur wasnt that why they shelled out for the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades a while ago, althogh they didnt touch the upstream. Ive heard all sorts of reasons as to why only Downstream can use docsis 3.1 but surely that cant be the case?? I realise the hardware will have its limitations but the hardware is rated for docsis 3.1, so they has to be ways to even enable 1 docsis 3.1 upstream channel on the HFC network. It wouild certainly go a long a way towards keeping there customers from jumping ships should they get beten to the punch. as of 2025 docsis 3.1 has brrn tuned to a fine art so the old excuses vm said why they didnt usr 3.1 for upstreams cant be holding true still surely….. Id certainly shell out extra cash for the UL boost thats for sure. even if this meant the HFC network was pushed to the limits, if the XGN-POS upgrades are coming why not!!! OC the hfc network now pls. at present if i see an alt net locally with symerttrical bandwidth i can say its by by VM event after all the years ive been a customer…
Anyway Id be interested to hear from other VM customers on 1gbps now if they have had the XGN-POS upgrade started, or does my theory hold true that there leaving the big areas with 1gbps to be last on the list….
Be nice for lowest tier to be 1gbps. They can and have the capacity for the tiers to be 1/2.5 and 5gbps
Pricing and propositions are market led, not set by the technical capability of the network. Virgin will offer the package that positions them where they want to be in the market.
Knowing Vermin pricing will likely be obnoxious, especially on release.
I was stuck paying £90/m for Gig2, because there were no offers on it at first, which then went up by £6.30/m “to help pay for our network improvements”, when at that time new customers were paying £50 or so for the same thing.
I am now on Gig2 with symmetric for £49. I think Gig5 would likely launch at £120+.
Meanwhile VM Ire prices have much less of a jump between Gig1/Gig2/Gig5.
Out of contract prices are €80/90/100, and offer pricing is €45/55/60
How the hell did you get symmetrical 2Gb for £49?! I had to renew my symmetrical 1Gb and ended up paying more, so I’m now paying £62 a month for 1Gb symmetrical…
@O I had 2000/2000 for £45/mo and resigned up for 1000/1000 for £31.99, it’ll only be £6 extra to go to 2gig in a few months if I fancy it. ( doubt it )
The Hub 5X is also only a WiFi 6 product which is now lagging behind other ISP offerings who have WiFi 7. Hopefully they will launch a Hub 6X with WiFi 7 and Modem mode to play catch-up.
Virgin can’t even get 1gb right. I have been getting 85 meg for the past two days and they don’t know why.
Gig2 working perfectly here. Just a shame the company are horrendous to deal with. Will be cancelling due to unsatisfactory renewal price, fortunately I have other options available in my area.
My street Virgin Media still on old coax! So, 5000/5000 no chance anywhere in Telford. lol
Any chance of a 2gig tier for Coax peeps? Considering it can support it and the work to support it was done during the 1gig rollout.
100% this
No chance. VM would have launched when Nexfibre offered it to keep synergy across.
You’ll have to wait for migration from coax to fibre for it.
VM wouldn’t launch with same upload as the GIG1 service, and its upload spectrum that’s the most difficult in most parts of the coax network. Yes, they did trials to 214mbps, but that was just one area (Thatcham, Berkshire from memory). The focus is on FTTP roll out now in terms of investment.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2020/09/virgin-media-uk-trials-2-2gbps-broadband-to-homes-in-berkshire.html
No reason it couldn’t launch with a modest or zero upload increase: VM have been testing slightly higher upload on the quiet to understand capacity planning.
VM’s full 100 Mb launch broke the 10:1 ratio with same upload as 50, gigabit launched with 20:1 ratio.
Getting more Hub 4 and 5 into homes makes offering higher upload easier if they want to do that. Capacity constraint only really unworkable in RFoG areas, can squeeze another 20% out of HFC without node splits or spectrum upgrades.
Not a deal breaker not to launch with Nexfibre, keeping them standardised was never a thing.
They lose customers too fast they’ll launch it. HFC is going to be around well into the 2030s so plenty of time for the extra ports to pay for themselves. They’ve tried to overbuild the very worst HFC earlier where they can which helps too.
I mean it is all good wanting to make the speeds faster, but the issue customers will have is the router they have will need a 10gb ethernet port on it.
Also their devices would also need to have a fast enough ethernet port or the latest wifi to be able to get those speeds. You will all get a bottleneck, so if you have a desktop PC or a laptop that only has a standard 1gb ethernet card then you will be still capped at only 950mbs ish so then the extra 4000 mbs will be wasted and not used unless you are sharing with others in your household. But if you live alone then you will never benefit from it until you upgrade your devices.
“the operator’s engineers typically use a special tablet to check the service. Some of the output from this now clearly shows Broadband: 5000Mbps | Upload: 5000Mbps”
100% this was my image. -.- ref: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/giffgaff-broadband.43346/post-434245
I have been reliably informed that the 5000 is pulled through from another system which holds a theoretical max speed & there are no 5G tiers live.
at some point I too was excited about the XGN-POS rollouts from VM, but seems as my area has 1gbps FTTC it means my area is very low on the priority list for the upgrades. I would do anything to be able to finally use symettrical FTTP 2gbps or 5gbps, but reckon for my area essex reackon it be 2028 to 2030. Also those dates keep getting pushed back so I ben they are extended more before then. But seems its not just VM with the slow rollouts, BT is in the same boat, they have been promissing a client of mine of there symettrical upgrade that before xmas was due for feb march 2025 but its Oct now and still no change.
Granted I have almost no experience of the tech vm use on there HFC networks bur wasnt that why they shelled out for the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades a while ago, althogh they didnt touch the upstream. Ive heard all sorts of reasons as to why only Downstream can use docsis 3.1 but surely that cant be the case?? I realise the hardware will have its limitations but the hardware is rated for docsis 3.1, so they has to be ways to even enable 1 docsis 3.1 upstream channel on the HFC network. It wouild certainly go a long a way towards keeping there customers from jumping ships should they get beten to the punch. as of 2025 docsis 3.1 has brrn tuned to a fine art so the old excuses vm said why they didnt usr 3.1 for upstreams cant be holding true still surely….. Id certainly shell out extra cash for the UL boost thats for sure. even if this meant the HFC network was pushed to the limits, if the XGN-POS upgrades are coming why not!!! OC the hfc network now pls. at present if i see an alt net locally with symerttrical bandwidth i can say its by by VM event after all the years ive been a customer…
Anyway Id be interested to hear from other VM customers on 1gbps now if they have had the XGN-POS upgrade started, or does my theory hold true that there leaving the big areas with 1gbps to be last on the list….