THE GIG IS UP
Virgin Media announces mega broadband boost that DOUBLES top speeds for almost a million households
The new service doesn't come cheap
VIRGIN Media has unleashed a speedy broadband upgrade that can download TV shows quicker than you can pour a cuppa.
The telecoms giant is doubling its fastest speed to two gigabit (2Gbps) which will be available to almost a million Brits initially.
1
Lightning fast Gig2 is more than 28 times faster than the UK average, according to Virgin Media.
With it, you can download the entire second season of The Traitors in HD within a mere 30 seconds.
By comparison, you would be left waiting 14 minute 36 seconds at the current national average (69.4Mbps), the firm claims.
And downloading the massive Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III game on PS5 would take about 16 minutes, instead of 7 hours 41 minutes.
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But the mega boost doesn't come cheap - it'll cost an eye-watering £84 per month.
Bosses admit most households probably don't need two gigabits just yet - but as we acquire more data-hungry gadgets we will in the future.
"It's not for everybody, we're not saying it's mass market day one, no-one's kidding themselves about that," Gareth Lister, Director of Connectivity Product at Virgin Media, told The Sun.
"I think we'll be having an interesting conversation about it in a few years time in terms of adoption, I've got a feeling it will rapidly adopted."
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Those who sign up to the new speed will receive a brand new Hub 5x router capable of handling Gig2.
Like Gig1 subscribers, anyone with Gig2 will get Virgin Media's Wi-Fi guarantee at no extra cost, which promises a minimum download speed of 30Mbps in in every room or £100 one-off credit back.
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For now, the service is launching across the Virgin Media O2 partner Nexfibre's network coverage area, including parts of Belfast, Cardiff, London and Glasgow.
The plan is to phase it out to all 23million premises within the pair's network map by the end of 2028.
Is two gigabit broadband for me?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Technology and Science Reporter at The Sun
The short answer is probably no - at least for now.
One gigabit broadband is already very zippy for the average household.
Gigabit is tailored towards those data-hungry devices and Gig2 has the future gadgets in mind like powerful AR, metaverse, AI and cloud gaming.
Gig2 is more aimed at early adopters but as even more of your home becomes connected and in need of fast, smooth broadband, it'll be the norm in a years to come.
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