The telco revealed it has delivered nearly two-thirds of the Government’s broadband plan after switching on gigabit speeds to a final 1.1 million homes and 15.5 million in total.
VMO2 has become the first telco to have completed the gigabit upgrade programme, offering download speeds of 1,130Mbps which is 22 times faster than the national average.
Lutz Schüler, CEO at Virgin Media O2, said: “Just two years ago we set out to spearhead the UK’s gigabit revolution and today we’ve delivered. Our investment to bring gigabit broadband to every home on our network has catapulted the UK’s digital infrastructure forward by a decade and forced others to up their game.
“As the country’s largest gigabit provider by far, we’re the driving force behind widespread gigabit availability four years ahead of the Government’s target.
“Having reached this major milestone in just two years, we’re doubling down on our mission to upgrade the UK by continuing to innovate and invest in our network to support the technologies of tomorrow – there’s no slowing down at Virgin Media O2.”
Virgin Media first launched gigabit services in September 2019 and has delivered ultrafast services in line with the growing demand for data, it says.
In August VMO2 announced the addition of 1.5 million homes to its gigabit network, completing half of its planned gigabit rollout.
The firm adds that its gigabit broadband will pave the way for future technologies and applications such as metaverse style augmented and virtual reality experiences and cloud gaming.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Getting high-speed broadband into everyone’s homes is a top priority and Virgin Media O2’s efforts mean we’re making quick progress in our mission to level up the UK with better connectivity.
“We must ensure that rural areas are not left behind, which is why alongside industry’s rollout we’re investing up to £5 billion to make top-of-the-range speeds available in hard-to-reach communities.”
