Virgin Media will switch on its next-generation Gig1 Fibre Broadband services in early March in Birmingham and Coventry – the first cities to benefit from the service this year – as well as surrounding areas across the West Midlands.
The Gig1 Fibre Broadband service offers an average peak-time download speed of 1,104Mbps. The company says this is up to 20 times quicker than the current regional average. This rollout forms part of Virgin Media’s plan to roll out gigabit speeds to more than 15 million homes across its network by the end of 2021.
Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media, said, “Virgin Media is delivering on its promises, putting its money where its mouth is and bringing next-generation broadband to its entire network. Switching on gigabit speeds for more than a million homes in the West Midlands, the UK’s largest gigabit rollout to date, will be a leap forward for the region and a big step for the Government’s gigabit broadband ambition.
“From gaming to streaming, Gig1’s hyperfast speeds will mean that households can do everything they want to do online, at the same time and without delay, with millions of more homes set to benefit this year as we bring this next-generation connectivity to more cities around the UK.”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, added, “Connectivity like this has the potential to make life easier for people here in the West Midlands and is sure to help our businesses and economy grow. I’ve spoken frequently on the need for good, reliable connectivity in the region and Virgin Media’s investment here in network expansion is an important step towards making the West Midlands one of the best connected places in the country.”
To mark the upcoming launch in the West Midlands, Oliver Dowden CBE, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Andy Street CBE, mayor of the West Midlands, visited Virgin Media’s National Apprenticeship Centre at its Eagle Court office in Birmingham yesterday.
