Virgin on track for 2012 100Mbps rollout

Fibre broadband

Virgin has made 100Mbps connections available for over one million premises and is on course to complete its next-generation rollout by mid 2012.

The company will have to connect another 12 million premises in the next year-and-a-half if it wants to reach its target.

Half of the country will be able to access next-generation services through Virgin once it has finished its rollout, six years ahead of EU targets, according to the communications firm.

"Reaching the one million home milestone is a hugely important step in ensuring consumers are able to keep up with the latest developments in this digitally connected world," said Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media.

"We had more then 10,000 registrations on the first day we unveiled 100Mb so there is real desire for better broadband and all the wonderful things you can do with a fast connection."

Virgin has made its superfast service available through contracts starting at 35 a month when combined in a bundle, or 45 per month when bought as a sole product.

Chief rival BT this week announced the man in charge of its next-generation broadband rollout operation is to step down in April.

Openreach chief executive (CEO) Steve Robertson, who led the group since its 2006 inception, will be replaced by Olivia Garfield, currently BT director of strategy and regulatory affairs.

Garfield will be looking to ensure BT meets its target of supplying fibre connections to two-thirds of the UK by 2015.

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.