Virgin Media O2 enhances broadband reliability for more customers through second phase of smart support

Following the success of Virgin Media’s initial rollout of smart support to existing customers earlier this year – which has benefited over 50,000 users so far – the second phase focuses on supporting new customers during the first few weeks of their service.

Smart support will monitor the customer’s broadband performance and aim to optimise their connection through proactive troubleshooting. Should smart support detect any potential connection issues to the WiFi Hub, Virgin Media will reach out to the customer offering them guidance and simple fixes.

The roll out of phase two arrives as research from Virgin Media indicates Brits prioritise their WiFi working (55%) over arranging their furniture (23%) and even unpacking (31%) when settling into a new home. With summer months typically the most popular time to move house*, the expansion of smart support is perfectly timed for home movers looking to get their connectivity up and running as smoothly as possible.

Through background assessments of a customer’s connection and automatic identification of issues such as speed drops and disconnections, smart support will help to build a full picture of a customer’s broadband performance. This will help Virgin Media get ahead of any potential issues before they impact a customers’ service, ensuring a seamless and smooth connection.

Virgin Media is the first major telecoms provider to proactively reach out to customers to improve their broadband experience, which has seen positive results to date with smart support resulting in a more reliable connection and less time offline for customers currently receiving the service.

Virgin Media O2’s Director of Connectivity, Gareth Lister, provides some top tips to help ensure a stress-free broadband installation:

Placement: Keep your WiFi Hub up high and out in the open, don’t hide it away (for example, place it next to the telly and not behind it). This allows sufficient space for the Hub to send signal around your home with less likelihood of interference.
Cables and connections: Ensure all the cables from the wall to the Hub are plugged in or screwed in securely and aren’t twisted.
WiFi coverage: Check your broadband speed around the home using Virgin Media’s free Connect App. If you benefit from a WiFi Guarantee like Virgin Media’s and you get download speeds of less than 30Mbps in any room, you can request up to three WiFi Pods to help improve your WiFi signal – and if that doesn’t do the trick, you’ll get £100 credit**.
Phone calls: If you struggle with mobile phone reception at home, use WiFi Calling* to experience clear, seamless calls when connected to WiFi.***
Know what’s realistic Maximum WiFi speed varies by device and distance from the WiFi Hub. If you’re unsure about your WiFi speed, you can use Virgin Media’s Connect App to test the speeds you’re getting to your WiFi Hub and your device.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The second phase of the smart support roll out is initially only available to new fibre customers for the first 14 days to ensure a smooth installation period.

* 10 Statistics That Tell the Story of 2023 for UK Home Movers | reallymoving

** WiFi coverage: Check your broadband speed around the home using the free Virgin Media Connect App. If you benefit from our WiFi Guarantee and you get speeds of less than 30Mbps in any of the rooms, you can request up to 3 WiFi Pods – and if that still doesn’t do the trick, you’ll get £100 credit

*** Subject to device compatibility and WiFi Calling being enabled by your mobile network – for more info go here).

T&C’s: Smart support: Subject to availability. Currently Fibre broadband only (excludes Full Fibre). Monitoring connectivity to Hub. Free engineer visit excludes misuse, neglect and accidental damage. Further terms apply https://www.virginmedia.com/help/how-to/smart-support

Smart support process: If we reach out with smart support, we’ll start by working to sort the issue remotely overnight while you snooze. If our fix doesn’t do the trick, or you’re new to the Virgin Media family, you’ll get an email with simple steps to try your end – like tightening cables and resetting the Hub. If you’re still having problems, we’ll send out an engineer to get things in tip-top shape.