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Articles on the topic : Virgin Media Broadband
Virgin Media To Triple UK Retail Stores
Broadband, digital TV and telephone provider Virgin Media has announced it is planning to triple the number of its UK retail stores within the next 12 months.
The move from 27 to 70 stores is expected to help new and existing customers with any questions they may have, aswell as providing information and demonstrations of Virgin Media’s exciting range of broadband, telephony and digital TV products.
The Virgin Media Managing Director of Consumer Retail, Peter Taddeo said, “Families up and down the country have made our broadband, TV and mobile services central to their entertainment needs. This expansion will reinforce Virgin Media’s presence at the heart of communities across the UK and provide a valuable contact point for existing and potential customers.”
Not only will the expansion benefit Virgin Media, it will also help out local economies too. Each new store will create a number of new jobs and new staff will receive a few months of intensive training – encouraging news for a country that is dealing with a recession.
Along with retail stores, there will also be new “retail lite” stores introduced. These will basically be shops without any walls, with staff showcasing Virgin Media’s quad play offering of broadband, phone, mobile and TV services.
The Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, said, “By increasing our high street presence, we’ll be able to drive further growth whilst communicating the benefits of Virgin Media’s products in a way that makes sense for consumers.”
Further information on Virgin Media’s existing packages can be found at the virginmedia.com website, or our Virgin Broadband review.
Virgin Media To Extend Broadband Network Coverage
Virgin Media has announced plans to extend its cable broadband, TV and phone network to a further half a million UK homes over the next few years with 50,000 homes to be connected during 2009.
The fibre optic cable company has identified homes whose proximity to its existing access network makes it a commercially attractive opportunity to extend its network.
Virgin Media has also commenced customer trials of its new 200Mbps broadband supply, with up to 100 households in Ashford, Kent testing the new service.
The Chief Executive of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, said, “Two years ago, when we were testing 50Mbps broadband, you would have asked what it was needed for. In two year’s time, where people are now asking about how many people are taking up 50Mbps, they will be asking what is the take-up of 200Mbps broadband.”
In Virgin Media’s latest financial results, the company reported a slowdown in customer growth. Gross customer additions were 167,200 in the quarter to the end of March, down from 193,000 in the previous quarter and from 181,000 in 2008.
However, the company’s record low churn rate of just 1.1% meant that it experienced a net total customer increase of 7,100 in the quarter, up from 5,000 a year ago. Some analysts had forecast a loss of 2,000 customers.
Commenting on this, Neil Berkett said “the company had enjoyed a quarter of sound operational and financial performance.”
Information on Virgin Media’s existing 10Mb, 20Mb and 50Mb broadband packages can be found at the virginmedia.com website.
Virgin Media Offer Free Broadband Installation
Virgin Media have today launched a free broadband installation offer, representing a saving of £30.
The offer is available to new Virgin Media customers who take a Virgin Media bundle that includes broadband.
This means all Virgin Media’s broadband and phone bundles which start from £5 a month, together with their broadband, phone and TV bundles which start from £14 a month are included.
New customers ordering broadband, phone and TV online will also receive a £20 credit on their first bill, while a free wireless router is also included.
Virgin Media’s entry level broadband and phone package starts from just £5 a month and includes up to 10Mb broadband speeds plus weekend local & national phone calls.
The free broadband installation offer ends on the 31st May 2009. Readers can go to the virginmedia.com website for more information, or to our Virgin Broadband review.
Virgin Media To Set Up Free Broadband Schools
Virgin Media plans to set up free broadband schools across the UK to help educate the British public on broadband, internet and technology jargon.
The move follows a 3,000 strong survey by Virgin Media which revealed that a shocking 18% of Britons don’t actually understand what the term “broadband” means. When asked to describe what it meant, those 18% struggled to give an explanation.
Further to that, 40% of people didn’t understand what ADSL broadband was. Blu-Ray is also misunderstood with 7% of people assuming that it is a type of internet access.
These survey results show that whilst Britain is advancing in the broadband sector, many people still don’t fully understand how it all works. Nearly half of the consumers who were surveyed didn’t understand how broadband speeds were measured. Perhaps most shockingly was that 40% of web users didn’t understand what a web browser was.
The Executive Director of Virgin Media, Jon James, said, “It’s great to see that Brits have a thirst for getting online, but there is still scope to improve their broadband experience.”
It’s reported that Virgin will set up the free broadband schools in ten different areas across the UK. As of yet the way in which the schools will work is not fully understood. However, there are plans for a drop in service where members of the public can simply drop in and ask questions.
The founder of Virgin, Sir Richard Branson, explained more about the decision to create the free broadband schools. He said, “At Virgin Media, we want everyone to feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how silly they think they are, so that they can get the most out of their internet service and enjoy everything the internet has to offer.”
The Virgin Media free broadband schools will be launched in the areas which have shown to be the least knowledgeable in the survey. No launch dates have yet been given.
Virgin Media Adds V Stuff Broadband Extras
Virgin Media has today announced the addition of a range of extras, known as V Stuff to their existing broadband packages.
The V Stuff extras offer free backup, online storage and free photo prints, with Virgin broadband size L and XL consumers receiving 5MB and 10MB of free storage respectively, while 50Mbps XXL users get unlimited storage.
Jon James, the Director of Broadband for Virgin, said, “Despite being the UK’s fastest broadband provider, we know that the internet is not just about speed. With the ability to store and share an unlimited number of photos and files online, and the unique facility to choose and print hundreds of photos for free, we’re going way beyond our customer’s expectations.”
James continues, “Our great new V Stuff service is the perfect broadband companion to enrich our customer’s lives.”
Virgin Media customers who have the L and XL broadband package can print for free 25 and 50 photos per month respectively, while those on the 50Mpbs XXL package get 100 free prints per month.
With the revelation last month that more than half of the UK’s broadband users are unhappy with their package, it’s good to see companies like Virgin Media introducing new additional extras like V Stuff to give consumers more value for their money.
For further information on V Stuff, please go to virginmedia.com.
Virgin Media Tops BT With 200Mb Broadband Speed
As BT pushes ahead with its plans for 60Mbps fibre optic broadband speeds by 2010, Virgin Media has now announced that its current network is capable of up to 200Mbps broadband.
The Chief Executive of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, said, “We have an opportunity with our network to provide significantly higher speeds.”
Virgin Media’s current network offers broadband speeds of up to 50Mbps, but BT has since announced that its new fibre optic network will offer speeds of up to 60Mbps.
BT plan to have their new speeds ready for parts of the UK by 2010 and to 40% of UK homes & businesses by 2012, but Neil Berkett claims the transition to faster speeds will be a “function of timing”.
In his statement he said: “When we look at the market I don’t see us getting returns right now for 100 or 150Mbps broadband. As we work with application providers and content providers, there will be a natural point where we upgrade from 10, 20 and 50Mbps to something more.”
He continued, “If BT were to meet the time frame they have suggested – of finishing by 2012 – I would see us as having much faster upstream speeds together with running at a minimum of 100Mbps downstream and possibly more. You can see a real opportunity there.”
Only time will tell if BT can offer its new super-fast broadband speeds in the time stated. If not, then it seems there will be an even faster alternative available from its rival.
