More than 20,000 Southall homes now connected to Virgin Media O2’s gigabit network

1. Gigabit broadband with average top speeds of 1,130Mbps now available to more than 20,000 additional homes in Southall for the first time
2. West London residents can now sign up to the UK’s fastest widely available network – up to 14 times faster than local average

Virgin Media O2 has today announced it has connected more than 20,000 additional homes in Southall, West London, to its network, bringing the benefits of gigabit broadband to tens of thousands more people for the first time.

As part of its network expansion programme, Virgin Media O2 is connecting more residents and small businesses so they can benefit from the provider’s ultrafast broadband, TV and phone services.

Customers in Southall can now sign-up to Virgin Media’s services, including Gig1 which offers top speeds of 1,130Mbps – 14 times faster* than local average – which is perfect for busy households working remotely, streaming UHD TV shows and films, video calling friends and family and playing games online.

Gillian O’Boyle, Director of Strategy, Network Expansion at Virgin Media O2, said: “Our latest build in Southall is bringing next-generation gigabit connectivity and terrific television to tens of thousands more people in the local area.

“With more of what we do everyday taking place digitally, from working from home to connecting with friends, our ultrafast speeds – 14 times faster than local average – offer an unrivalled online experience that is impossible to match.”

Cllr Steve Donnelly, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy at Ealing Council said: “The expansion of the ultrafast network to over 20,000 households in Southall could have a transformational impact. Ealing Council was pleased that our Highways Department was able to assist with this rollout to provide Southall residents with world-class connectivity options.”

Virgin Media O2 is leading Britain’s gigabit charge and is the only major broadband provider to have rolled out next-generation gigabit services, offering speeds of 1,000Mbps+, to its entire network today. The company invests around £2bn a year in its networks and services and is also in the process of upgrading its entire fixed network to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology, which is capable of delivering symmetrical 10Gbps download and upload speeds and beyond in future.

In addition to its ultrafast broadband network, Virgin Media O2’s mobile network covers 99% of the nation’s population with 4G, with the business also rolling out 5G services to bring the latest mobile connectivity to more parts of the country. O2 is the only mobile network operator not to reintroduce roaming fees in Europe and customers can save week-in week-out through Priority – its reward scheme which gives exclusive access to offers, prize draws, competitions and presale tickets.

Customers of both Virgin Media and O2 can supercharge their services and reap extra rewards through Volt. Alongside double mobile data, roaming in 75 countries and up to £150 off a connected device, new and existing customers who take a Virgin Media broadband service and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan will receive a broadband speed boost to the next tier available – meaning customers on a 500mbps Virgin Media package could be boosted to Gig1 at no extra charge.

New customers can currently grab Virgin Media’s ultrafast M125 broadband only package, with average download speeds of 132Mbps, for half price – just £15 a month – for the first 6 months.

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Notes to Editors

*The average (median) broadband speed in Ealing is 76.1Mbps. Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations Report 2022