Virgin Media to Trial Ultrafast Broadband in Woolhampton, Berkshire
Posted by alister under Broadband , TV , Virgin Media , Virgin MediaNo Comments
The Berkshire village of Woolhampton has been chosen by Virgin Media broadband to trial their pioneering new service which will be delivered using telephone poles. By connecting the village’s homes directly to their fibre optic network, Virgin Media will be increasing broadband speeds to the rural community ten times faster than the previously relied upon copper network. Alongside this ultrafast broadband, the villagers of Woolhampton will also be offered the Virgin Media cable TV service which includes 5,000 hours of catch up TV and on demand content alongside the usual popular channels.
The trial is scheduled to run for six months and is part of Virgin Media’s plan to bring next generation services to people who live beyond the reach of their fibre optic network. Virgin Media is also planning to extend it’s network to more than 1million more homes through the deployment of their award winning service via the new telegraph pole system.
Chief executive officer of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, said -
This unique trial will allow us to understand the possibilities of aerial deployment and may provide an exciting new way to extend next generation broadband services. With everything from BBC iPlayer to YouTube increasingly demanding reliable ultrafast broadband speeds, we’re keen to ensure that all communities, in towns, cities and villages right across the UK, stand to benefit.
With Virgin Media’s extensive network already reaching 12.6 million homes in the UK, this old school method of data transfer could be the perfect transport system to reach those parts that the fibre optic cable cannot. Thanks to years of telecommunications via telephone poles across the country, this is a fantastic way to ensure that more homes across the UK are given the opportunity to enjoy Virgin Media’s ultra fast service, and not just those who live in built up towns and cities. The trial will start this month and if successful could see up to one million extra homes benefiting from speeds of up to 100Mb.




