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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Virgin Media broadband speeds up | Virgin Media broadband speeds up |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Virgin Media is widely expected to unveil a 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) domestic broadband service today. | |
| It doing so it will be the first UK ISP to roll out a next generation broadband service that runs far faster than most others available to UK web users. | |
| So far no word has been given on pricing or which parts of the country will be the first to get it. | So far no word has been given on pricing or which parts of the country will be the first to get it. |
| Currently, the fastest domestic broadband speed available from Virgin Media is 20Mbps. | Currently, the fastest domestic broadband speed available from Virgin Media is 20Mbps. |
| Regional aid | Regional aid |
| The service will put Virgin at the top of the speed league for UK ISPs. Close behind is Be Broadband which offers at 24Mbps service for £17.50 per month. | The service will put Virgin at the top of the speed league for UK ISPs. Close behind is Be Broadband which offers at 24Mbps service for £17.50 per month. |
| Details of the service are expected to be released during a morning press conference on 15 December. Trials of the high-speed service were carried out in Kent during 2008. | Details of the service are expected to be released during a morning press conference on 15 December. Trials of the high-speed service were carried out in Kent during 2008. |
| The service will be rolled out throughout 2009 and it is thought that Warrington, where Virgin has a big customer base, will be the first place to be upgraded. | |
| The news comes as the cable group announces that it will cut 2,200 jobs by 2012. | The news comes as the cable group announces that it will cut 2,200 jobs by 2012. |
| Rival BT has announced that Muswell Hill, in London, and Whitchurch, in Cardiff, will be the first pilot sites for its fibre-based broadband trial, which will begin in the summer of 2009. | Rival BT has announced that Muswell Hill, in London, and Whitchurch, in Cardiff, will be the first pilot sites for its fibre-based broadband trial, which will begin in the summer of 2009. |
| Up to 15,000 homes and businesses will get the chance to take part in a trial of fibre to the cabinet technology which can deliver speeds of up to 40Mbps. | Up to 15,000 homes and businesses will get the chance to take part in a trial of fibre to the cabinet technology which can deliver speeds of up to 40Mbps. |
| It has said it will invest £1.5bn in laying fibre as far as its street cabinets. The connection from the street cabinet to peoples' homes will rely on copper lines. | It has said it will invest £1.5bn in laying fibre as far as its street cabinets. The connection from the street cabinet to peoples' homes will rely on copper lines. |
| What will deliver next-generation broadband? | What will deliver next-generation broadband? |
| Charlie Ponsonby at comparison site Simplify Digital said higher speeds would drive changes in the way people use the web. | Charlie Ponsonby at comparison site Simplify Digital said higher speeds would drive changes in the way people use the web. |
| "As we see an increasing blur between the TV set and the PC, with on-demand content flowing seamlessly between the two, people's appetite for broadband speed will head rapidly upwards," he said. | "As we see an increasing blur between the TV set and the PC, with on-demand content flowing seamlessly between the two, people's appetite for broadband speed will head rapidly upwards," he said. |
| "Today's average of about 2 Mbps will soon seem as inadequate as a 56 Kbps dialup connection already seems to the great majority of web users," he added. | "Today's average of about 2 Mbps will soon seem as inadequate as a 56 Kbps dialup connection already seems to the great majority of web users," he added. |
| Not everyone is convinced that the cable modem technology on offer from Virgin Media will be enough to satisfy speed-hungry consumers. | Not everyone is convinced that the cable modem technology on offer from Virgin Media will be enough to satisfy speed-hungry consumers. |
| The president of the Fibre to the Home Council of Europe, Joeri Van Bogaert, said: "Cable modem can be complementary to fibre to the home (FTTH) but is in no way a substitute," he said. | The president of the Fibre to the Home Council of Europe, Joeri Van Bogaert, said: "Cable modem can be complementary to fibre to the home (FTTH) but is in no way a substitute," he said. |
| "The main issue is speed. While FTTH can easily deliver speeds of up to 100Mbps and could eventually pump out 1000Mbps, Virgin's service offers 50Mbps and is asymmetric. | "The main issue is speed. While FTTH can easily deliver speeds of up to 100Mbps and could eventually pump out 1000Mbps, Virgin's service offers 50Mbps and is asymmetric. |
| "This means that uploading content will be much slower than download speeds." | "This means that uploading content will be much slower than download speeds." |