UK gets 50Mbps broadband service
Virgin Media has launched a 50Mbps cable broadband service in the UK. The service costs £51-per-month (approx AU$117) and, according to Virgin, will be available to all of its 12 million customers towards the end of 2009. Virgin Media's previous top speed was 20Mbps.
"Today marks a historic moment, for both Virgin Media and the UK," said Virgin Media chief executive Neil Berkett in the statement. "As the first ISP to roll out next-generation broadband access, our 50Mbps service represents the dawning of a new era of high-speed services in the UK, and is just the beginning of what we hope to offer our customers over the coming years."
Virgin Media's 50Mbps service uses a combination of fibre and coaxial cable technologies. The core network is fibre, and fibre often connects the exchange to the street cabinet. However, unlike a true fibre-to-the home (FTTH) set-up, the connection between the cabinet and the premises uses coaxial cable, similar to the cable that plugs into the back of a television set. Virgin's speeds are, therefore, much faster than the 24Mbps maximum speed promised by rivals such as Be Broadband and BT, but not as fast as those that would be possible with FTTH.L33tdawg: I'd be SUPER happy with even a semi-decent 10Mbps link :(
