Virgin Media Inc. (VMED), a leading cable MSO in the U.K., is all set to introduce the super-fast EuroDOCSIS 3.0 (Wideband) network offering with a downstream speed of 100 Mbps and an upstream speed of at least 10 Mbps by the end of 2010. The company currently offers EuroDOCSIS 3.0 network in three different tiers, offering downstream speed of 10 Mbps, 20 mbps, and 50 Mbps. Virgin Media added 63,600 cable broadband subscribers in the fourth quarter 2009, an increase from over 57,100 added in the year-ago quarter.
At the end of 2009, the company had a total of 4.1 million broadband customers. Cable broadband customers constitute 3.84 million. Out of this, 98% of cable broadband subscribers are on at a 10Mbps or higher speed tier. 20 Mbps or higher-speed customers were 560,300, up 45% year-over-year and 50 mbps customer base was 41,400, up 81% year-over-year. With 50 Mbps Wideband, Virgin Media already supports higher speed than its close rivals BT Group Plc. (BT) and British Sky Broadcasting. By leveraging the technological superiority of its fiber optic cable network, the 100 Mbps tier will place the company as the only mass-market provider of ultra-fast speeds in the UK.
In another major development, management declared that it has decided to extend the trial run of the more advanced 200 Mbps broadband network in Coventry . However, the company did not provide any timeframe for when it will start commercial deployment of this service. 200 Mbps speed will focus on future technologies and applications, such as home teleconferencing and downloading HD programs on-demand, and 3D TV. As of now, only two companies namely, Jupiter telecommunications Co. Ltd. Of Japan and Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) of the U.S., offers downstream DOCSIS 3.0 speed of above 100 Mbps.
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