Virgin Media starts testing 200 Mb broadband speeds in UK

Virgin Media, the UK's largest residential ISP and provider of the country's fastest nationwide broadband service, has started a customer pilot last week to test 200Mb speeds in Ashford, Kent.

Using its brand new ultrafast network, Virgin Media will be piloting blisteringly fast speeds four times faster than the 50Mb service currently available.

The 200Mb pilot is believed to be the fastest implementation of DOCSIS3 technology in the world, running faster than services offered in Japan and the US, which currently reach 160Mb and 101Mb respectively.

Following successful lab trials, Virgin Media will provide the pilot customers advanced service through and will be providing invaluable insight into what potential future uses such an ultrafast service may be able to deliver.

Through the pilot, Virgin Media will be testing applications, which consumers may be using regularly in the future, including state-of-the-art entertainment services using TV and broadband content in full High Definition and 3D.

The Virgin Media pilot will also help the UK the ability to deliver applications and support for home IT needs through the network as well as connecting a host of internet-ready devices such as video conferencing and home surveillance.

In March, British telecommunications firm BT announced that it would provide the next generation super-fast broadband access to 500,000 homes and businesses in 6 cities in the UK by 2010. (See: British Telecom to give UK customers 60 Mbps broadband speed)

After identifying six locations in the UK where demand for super-fast broadband was the highest, BT zeroed in on Belfast, Cardiff, Edinbugh, Glasgow, London and Greater Manchester to provide to half a million homes and businesses internet users with broadband speeds of up to 60 Mbps from early 2010.

In December, Virgin had launched the fastest internet speed in the UK by providing its customers with 50 Mb broadband speeds.

Neil Berkett, chief executive officer at Virgin Media, said, ''We're really excited to be embarking on this journey of discovery. With the only true next generation network in the UK, we're at the forefront of innovation and understanding when it comes to ultrafast broadband services and the 200Mb pilot will give us further insight into how true 'wideband' services might be used by consumers.''

Virgin Media will run the pilot project for at least six months before results are analysed to understand potential consumer usage and to assess the commercial viability of such ultrafast services.

Virgin Media will be working with a range of suppliers to enhance the broadband technology since there are no wireless routers, which can deliver speeds as high as 200Mb in the UK, and customers will have to upgrade their computers in order to be able handle data at such high speeds.