Three things you need to know about Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband
Broadband is set to get even faster as Virgin Media has switched on gigabit speeds for nearly three million homes in London and Northern Ireland.
Three things you need to know about gigabit broadband:
It’s 17 times faster than the UK average broadband speeds
A total of 6.8 million homes across the UK can now access Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband – that’s 45% of its total network
Virgin Media plans to bring gigabit broadband to its entire network of more than 15 million homes by the end of 2021
Lutz Schüler, CEO at Virgin Media, said: “It has never been clearer that our services play a vital role in supporting people’s everyday lives and powering the economy. The nation needs next-generation connectivity and we’re delivering.
“Our ambitious target will see us roll-out gigabit speeds across our entire network of more than 15 million homes by the end of next year. We’re on track to deliver that promise with homes in London and Northern Ireland the latest to gain access to blisteringly-fast Gig1 services. As our rollout continues at a speed and scale unmatched by anyone else, whatever the future holds, we’re keeping our customers and the country connected to what’s next.”
The £11 billion gigabit opportunity
Research by Virgin Media has revealed that gigabit broadband could unlock an opportunity worth more than £11 billion a year in saved working hours to the national economy.
The Gigabit Opportunity report looks at how advances in connectivity have changed our lives in recent years. It highlights how gigabit broadband can remove barriers to remote working, enable the next wave of connected home devices and support new technological innovations.
With many workers having moved to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report reveals that 80% of homeworkers are losing time to slow broadband. On average, a remote worker wastes up to 11 minutes per day – the equivalent of four full working days since the start of the UK lockdown in March. Over the coronavirus lockdown and restrictions period so far, this lost time is worth more than £7 billion.
Virgin Media’s report identifies how the widespread adoption of next-generation broadband could help claw back millions of lost working hours, helping to boost labour productivity levels and create an economic opportunity worth nearly £1 billion a month.
As businesses continue to adopt cloud technology applications and services – which increasingly rely upon fast, reliable connectivity – the importance of ultrafast and gigabit broadband will increase and a slow connection will become a bigger drag on the economy.
Virgin Media has been celebrating local legends who have taken care of their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit Virgin Media to find out more.
