Virgin Media must really have it in for BT. No sooner does BT make plans for an ultra-fast fibre optic network, than Virgin Media manages to double it and has just announced that it’s starting a pilot of a new 200Mbps service. Those speeds even make the current 50Mbps service look a little bit pathetic.
Virgin Media has already undertaken a lab test of the ultra-ultra-ultra-high-speed internet and they went so well that it has already rolled out to 100 lead adopters in Ashford, Kent. These annoyingly lucky few “will put the advanced service through its paces and will be providing invaluable insight into what potential future uses such an ultrafast service may be able to deliver”.
By that Virgin Media doesn’t mean ‘see how many full sized HD movie bit torrents they can download in a 24 hour period’. Instead, they’ll be trialling new HD and 3D download services delivered straight through the fibre optic pipes and seeing how true ‘wideband’ service might be used by customers.
These staggering speeds are reckoned to be the faster than anything offered in the world right now, including Japan’s 160Mb service and the US’ 101Mb service. Virgin Media will be conducting its pilot for the next six months, before collating the data and seeing whether customers really want it. Err, we do! Look, we’ve saved you six months of ‘research’ right there.
Out TBA | £TBA | Virgin Media
