Virgin Media to rollout 100Mbps in 2010

Virgin Media today confirmed it is almost ready to rollout its promised broadband speeds of 100Mbps to customers across the UK.

The 12.6 million homes connected to Virgin Media's broadband network can expect to get access to the super-fast connections by the end of the year, although the company has admitted it is aimed at the "tech-savvy users" among its customer base.

Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, believes the launch of this new service will help bring the UK in line with better-connected nations.

"There is nothing we can't do with our fibre optic cable network and the upcoming launch of our flagship 100Mb[ps] service will give our customers the ultimate broadband experience," he said in a statement.

Along with this broad rollout, the company has also confirmed it will be extending its 200Mbps pilot. It started the trial back in May 2009 in Kent but it has now confirmed plans for another pilot site in Coventry to test what it refers to as the "supercharged speed."

All these announcements came on the same day Virgin Media announced its fourth quarter results for 2009.

The numbers looked good for the company, with operating income up by 15 per cent to 366 million and total revenue up by just over three per cent to 980 million, thanks to a six per cent rise in consumer cable revenue.

"Our range of high quality products, combined with investment in technological innovation, new growth channels and targeted cost control, mean we believe we are well positioned to continue to deliver strong operational and financial performance," concluded Berkett.