- Full-fibre broadband with average top speeds of 1,130Mbps now available to more than 12,000 additional homes and businesses in Heysham and Lancaster
- County Councillor Aidy Riggott welcomes the investment, as residents can now sign up to broadband up to 17 times faster* than the local average.
- Services are now available following investment by nexfibre, which is investing £4.5bn in the UK to build a new full-fibre wholesale network to 5 million homes by 2026
More than 12,000 homes and businesses in Heysham and Lancaster can now access Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband services for the first time.
Customers in Heysham and the Marsh area of Lancaster can now sign-up to services including Gig1 broadband which offers top speeds of 1,130Mbps – 17 times faster* than local average. These hyperfast connections are perfect for busy households working remotely, streaming UHD TV shows and films, video calling friends and family and playing games online.
Virgin Media’s services are now available locally after work to bring full fibre connections to the area has been completed. The network has been built on behalf of nexfibre, which is investing £4.5bn to deliver high speed fibre to the home (FTTH) connections to 5 million homes across the UK by 2026. Virgin Media O2 is using this next-generation network to deliver its broadband and TV Stream services to homes and businesses in the area.
County Councillor Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for Economic Development and Growth, said: “We welcome the latest expansion of full fibre broadband to over 12,000 homes in Heysham and Marsh, thanks to this multi-million pound investment.
“This step forward aligns strongly with Lancashire’s broader economic and regeneration activities and will build on and support projects delivered by the County Council.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners in continuing to expand and to enable high quality broadband in the semi-rural and suburban parts of Lancashire to provide an essential boost to the local and national economy.”
Julie Agnew, Managing Director of Fixed Network Expansion at Virgin Media O2 said: “12,000 more premises in Heysham and Lancaster can now feel the benefit of Virgin Media’s services – with packages that include everything from next generation gigabit broadband to easy-to-use TV streaming and entertainment services.
“These ultrareliable full fibre to the home broadband connections come with speeds – up to 17 times faster than local average – providing total peace of mind that whatever you’re doing online, you’ll never be slowed down by your service.”
Rajiv Datta, CEO at nexfibre said: “We’re proud to be able to facilitate access to full fibre broadband to more than 12,000 premises in Heysham and Lancaster, thanks to our multi-million pound investment. We continue on our mission to build and expand our network in suburban and semi-rural areas, play our part in helping to close the digital divide and boost the UK economy.
Virgin Media O2 is leading Britain’s gigabit charge with speeds of 1,000Mbps+ available across its entire network. 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 home (FTTH) technology over the coming years.
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 have reintroduced 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, 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.
nexfibre is a joint venture between InfraVia Capital Partners, Liberty Global and Telefónica and is financed with £4.5 billion of equity and debt investment. It will initially roll out fibre to 5 million homes not currently served by Virgin Media O2’s network by 2026, with the opportunity to expand to an additional 2 million homes. Virgin Media O2 is the anchor tenant of this joint venture and provides build services to nexfibre. Together the nexfibre and Virgin Media O2 networks will cover up to 23 million premises or around 80% of the UK over the coming years.
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Notes to Editors
*The average (median) broadband speed in Lancaster is 67 Mbps. Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations Report 2023, published 19 December 2023.
nexfibre is a next generation broadband company on a mission to deliver high-speed fibre to the home (FTTH) to millions across the UK. It is a joint venture between InfraVia Capital Partners and Virgin Media O2’s shareholders, Liberty Global and Telefónica
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