Virgin Media M250Broadband Deals
M250 Fibre Broadband
Speed
264 Mbps download / 25 Mbps upload
Article Summary
264 Mbps averagedownloads - double M125 for £6 more monthly.
£28.99/month new customerpricing on 18-month contracts.
Boost to M350(362 Mbps) free with O2 Volt benefit.
Supports 10+ devicesstreaming 4K simultaneously.
Upload limited to25 Mbps - 10x slower than downloads.
Swipe for more
What is Virgin Media M250?
Virgin Media M250 is a mid-tier cable broadband package positioned as the critical pivot point in Virgin Media O2's portfolio. It delivers average download speeds of 264 Mbps and upload speeds of 25 Mbps, making it significantly faster for downloads than most FTTC broadband while remaining more affordable than gigabit tiers.
The package represents a product of stark contrasts: while M250 offers market-leading download speed-to-price ratios for new customers (often under £30/month), it is technically constrained by the Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) network architecture. The stagnation of upload speeds at 25 Mbps—a ratio of nearly 10:1 against download throughput—renders it increasingly dated against symmetrical Full Fibre competitors like CityFibre and Hyperoptic.
M250 is best suited for households prioritizing passive media consumption across multiple devices, particularly those with O2 mobile subscriptions who can access the Volt speed boost to M350 (362 Mbps) at no additional cost. However, power users, gamers, and remote workers requiring stable uploads and low-latency performance should carefully evaluate Full Fibre alternatives from BT or alt-net providers.
Compare Virgin Media Speed Tiers
Virgin Media M250 Package
M125 Fibre Broadband
Average 132 Mbps
132 Mbps
20 Mbps
18 month contract
M250 Fibre Broadband
Average 264 Mbps
264 Mbps
25 Mbps
18 month contract
M350 Fibre Broadband
Average 362 Mbps
362 Mbps
36 Mbps
18 month contract
Technical Specifications
Speed Profile
- Download Speed
- 264 Mbps average
- Upload Speed
- 25 Mbps
- Asymmetry Ratio
- 10:1 (down:up)
- 4K Stream Capacity
- 10+ simultaneous
- Device Support
- 10+ devices
Network Technology
- Network Type
- Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial
- Technology
- DOCSIS 3.1
- Architecture
- Shared medium
- Standard Router
- Hub 3 (WiFi 5)
- Chipset Issue
- Intel Puma 6
Pricing Structure
New Customer
£28.99
per month
- ✓18-month contract
- ✓£35 setup (often waived)
- ✓Frequent promotions
Out of Contract
£60+
per month
- !100%+ price increase
- !Rolling monthly contract
- ✓Renegotiate to £26-£34
Annual Increase
RPI+3.9%
every April
- ✗2024: 8.8% increase
- ✗2023: 13.8% increase
- ✗No penalty-free exit
Pricing Strategy Explained
Virgin Media operates a classic differential pricing model where the cost depends on customer tenure and negotiation willingness. New customers benefit from aggressive acquisition pricing (£28.99), often enhanced by bill credits or vouchers that reduce effective monthly costs to £23-£25 over 18 months.
Upon contract expiry, the standard rate exceeds £60—representing a near-100% increase. This "loyalty penalty" relies on customer inertia, though those who engage retention teams can typically negotiate back down to match or beat new customer offers. The key is proactive renegotiation 30 days before contract end.
The most controversial element is the mid-contract RPI + 3.9% price rise every April. Virgin uses Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation—typically 1-3 points higher than CPI—plus an additional 3.9%, creating increases of 8-14% annually. Recent contracts from January 2025 shift to fixed £3.50 monthly rises, which on a £29 base still represents ~12% inflation.
How M250 Compares to Competitors
Virgin M250 faces strong competition from BT's Full Fibre 300 and symmetrical alt-net providers like Vodafone CityFibre.
Full Fibre 300
Average 300 Mbps
300 Mbps
50 Mbps
- •300 Mbps download
- •50 Mbps upload (2x faster)
- •Stay Fast Guarantee
- •Openreach FTTP
24 month contract
M250 Fibre
Average 264 Mbps
264 Mbps
25 Mbps
- •264 Mbps download
- •25 Mbps upload
- •Cable network
- •Boost to M350 with Volt
18 month contract
Full Fibre 200
200 Mbps symmetrical
200 Mbps
200 Mbps
- •200 Mbps download
- •200 Mbps upload
- •CityFibre network
- •WiFi 6 router
24 month contract
How Do They Compare?
| Feature |  BT |  Virgin Media |  Vodafone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download Speed | 300 Mbps | 264 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 50 Mbps | 25 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Monthly Price | £31.99 | £28.99 | £26.00 |
| Contract Length | 24 months | 18 months | 24 months |
| Network Type | Openreach FTTP | Cable HFC | CityFibre FTTP |
| Router Quality | Smart Hub 2 | Hub 3 | WiFi 6 |
Hardware: The Router Situation
⚠Hub 3 (Standard M250 Router)
- WiFi Standard
- WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
- Chipset
- Intel Puma 6
- Antennas
- 5 (2x2 + 3x3)
- Issue
- Latency spikes
The Hub 3 suffers from a documented hardware defect in the Intel Puma 6 chipset. The CPU becomes overloaded by routine tasks, causing ping times to spike from ~20ms to 200ms+ every few seconds. This creates "rubber-banding" in online games and robotic voice artifacts in video calls.
✓Hub 4 / Hub 5 (Premium)
- WiFi Standard
- WiFi 6 (Hub 5)
- Chipset
- Broadcom
- Antennas
- 11 (Hub 4)
- Availability
- Gig1+ customers
Hub 4 and Hub 5 use superior Broadcom chipsets that eliminate the Puma 6 latency issues. They offer better WiFi coverage, support more devices, and provide stable gaming performance. Unfortunately, these are reserved for Gig1 customers or require specific negotiation.
Workaround for Hub 3 Issues
M250 customers who experience latency problems have three options:
- 1. Enable Modem Mode: Put the Hub 3 into modem-only mode and connect your own third-party router (e.g., ASUS RT-AX86U, Netgear Nighthawk). This bypasses the Puma 6 chipset entirely but requires purchasing a router (£100-£200).
- 2. Request Hub Upgrade: Contact Virgin Media retention and request a Hub 4 or Hub 5. Success varies, but some M250 users report receiving upgrades if they cite gaming issues or threaten to switch to BT.
- 3. Upgrade to Gig1: Virgin Media Gig1 customers automatically receive Hub 4 or Hub 5. If you're an O2 customer, the Volt boost already gives you M350—consider negotiating a Gig1 upgrade for £5-£10 more monthly to resolve hardware issues.
Volt: The O2 Speed Boost
M250 with Volt boosts to
M350
362 Mbps
Free upgrade
How Volt Works
Volt is Virgin Media O2's ecosystem integration benefit. If you have a Virgin Media broadband connection and any eligible O2 Pay Monthly mobile SIM registered at the same address, your broadband automatically upgrades to the next speed tier at no additional cost.
- M250 Base Speed
- 264 Mbps
- M250 with Volt
- 362 Mbps (M350)
- Extra Cost
- £0
- Mobile Data
- Doubled
Additional Volt Perks
- ✓Double O2 mobile data allocation
- ✓Travel Inclusive Zone roaming in 75+ destinations
- ✓Free speed boost to next Virgin Media tier
Who Should Buy M250?
✓Ideal For
- •
Streaming-Focused Households
Multiple 4K streams, Netflix, Disney+, YouTube across 5-7 people
- •
O2 Mobile Customers
Get free Volt boost to M350 (362 Mbps) + double data
- •
Budget-Conscious Families
£28.99 for 264 Mbps is excellent value for downloads
- •
Smart Home Users
10+ connected devices - Ring, Nest, Alexa, smart TVs
- •
Areas Without Alt-Nets
Where CityFibre/Hyperoptic unavailable or significantly pricier
✗Avoid If You Are
- •
Competitive Gamer
Hub 3 latency spikes cause rubber-banding, jitter ruins experience
- •
Content Creator / Streamer
25 Mbps upload insufficient for Twitch/YouTube streaming
- •
Remote Worker with Large Files
Cloud backups, video uploads painfully slow at 25 Mbps
- •
CityFibre Area Resident
Vodafone 200/200 symmetrical at £26 beats M250 technically
- •
Video Conferencing Heavy User
Multiple Zoom/Teams calls need stable upload + low jitter
Final Verdict
Virgin Media M250 represents a sophisticated commercial product that successfully balances mass-market appeal with technical compromises. For the average consumer prioritizing download speeds for streaming entertainment, M250 delivers exceptional value—264 Mbps for £28.99 is hard to beat on pure economics, especially when enhanced by the Volt speed boost to M350 for O2 subscribers.
However, M250 is fundamentally a product designed for passive consumption rather than active creation. The restrictive 25 Mbps upload speed—nearly 10x slower than downloads—creates a bottleneck that modern Full Fibre competitors have eliminated. This asymmetry is a direct artifact of the Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial architecture, where spectrum allocation favors downloads and legacy TV broadcasts over upstream capacity.
The hardware situation further complicates the value proposition. M250's standard Hub 3 router suffers from documented latency jitter due to the Intel Puma 6 chipset defect, degrading real-time application performance for gaming and video calls. While workarounds exist (modem mode with third-party routers), this adds hidden costs and complexity that competitors avoid by providing superior hardware out of the box.
The aggressive RPI + 3.9% pricing escalation mechanism introduces long-term cost uncertainty, with annual increases of 8-14% dramatically eroding first-year savings unless customers proactively renegotiate. This "retention dance" requirement is a friction point absent from more transparent fixed-price competitors.
Choose M250 If:
- ✓You're a new customer with O2 mobile (Volt boost)
- ✓Your primary use is streaming video across multiple devices
- ✓Full Fibre unavailable or significantly more expensive
- ✓You're willing to renegotiate every 18 months
Avoid M250 If:
- ✗You're a competitive gamer or content creator
- ✗You work from home with large file uploads
- ✗CityFibre/alt-net available offering symmetrical speeds
- ✗You need stable, low-latency performance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Virgin Media M250 broadband?
Virgin Media M250 is a mid-tier cable broadband package delivering average download speeds of 264 Mbps and upload speeds of 25 Mbps. It's delivered via Virgin's Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) network using DOCSIS 3.1 technology, making it faster than most FTTC broadband but with more limited upload capacity compared to Full Fibre alternatives.
How much does M250 cost?
New customers typically pay £28.99 per month on an 18-month contract with £35 setup fee (often waived). Out-of-contract prices jump to over £60, but retention customers can negotiate back down to £26-£34. Prices increase annually by RPI + 3.9% (typically 8-13% per year) or by a fixed £3.50 monthly increase on newer contracts.
What router comes with M250?
M250 typically includes the Virgin Media Hub 3, which uses WiFi 5 (802.11ac) and has a documented latency issue due to its Intel Puma 6 chipset. This creates occasional latency spikes that affect online gaming. Gig1 customers receive the superior Hub 4 or Hub 5, but M250 users must request upgrades or use their own router to avoid these issues.
What is the upload speed on M250?
M250 provides 25 Mbps upload speed, creating a 10:1 download-to-upload ratio. This is significantly lower than Full Fibre competitors like BT Full Fibre 300 (50 Mbps upload) or Vodafone CityFibre (200 Mbps symmetrical). The limited upload makes M250 less suitable for content creators, large cloud backups, or heavy video conferencing.
Can I boost M250 speeds with Volt?
Yes. If you have an eligible O2 Pay Monthly mobile SIM registered at the same address, Virgin Media automatically boosts M250 to M350 (362 Mbps) for free through the Volt benefit. This also doubles your O2 mobile data and adds Travel Inclusive Zone roaming, making it one of the best value propositions in the market.
Is M250 better than BT Full Fibre 300?
M250 is typically £3-£5 cheaper per month and has a shorter 18-month contract versus BT's 24 months. However, BT Full Fibre 300 offers faster downloads (300 vs 264 Mbps), double the upload speed (50 vs 25 Mbps), better hardware (Smart Hub 2), lower latency, and a Stay Fast Guarantee. BT is the better choice for gamers, remote workers, and those who upload frequently.
How does M250 compare to CityFibre?
In CityFibre areas, providers like Vodafone offer symmetrical 200/200 Mbps packages for around £26—cheaper than M250 and with 8x faster uploads (200 vs 25 Mbps). CityFibre Full Fibre also has lower latency, no jitter issues, and superior technical stability. M250's advantage is wider availability, as CityFibre only serves select cities.
What are the downsides of M250?
Key limitations include: severely restricted 25 Mbps upload speed, Hub 3 latency/jitter issues from the Intel Puma 6 chipset, aggressive RPI + 3.9% annual price hikes, shared bandwidth architecture causing potential peak-time slowdowns, and no penalty-free exit rights when contracted price increases are applied.
Who should buy M250?
M250 is ideal for households that prioritize download speed for streaming 4K content on multiple devices, don't require fast uploads, and are O2 mobile customers who can access the Volt boost to M350. It works well for passive media consumption in family homes with 4-7 people.
Who should avoid M250?
Avoid M250 if you're a competitive gamer (due to Hub 3 latency issues), content creator needing fast uploads, remote worker with large file transfers, or live in a CityFibre/alt-net area where symmetrical Full Fibre is available. In these cases, the technical superiority of true Full Fibre outweighs Virgin's pricing advantages.