Virgin Media Black Friday Sale 2024 Explore Packages Virgin Media’s Massive 2024 Black Friday Sale! We are excited to share the launch of Virgin Media O2’s highly anticipated Black Friday sale. Starting today, customers can take advantage of exclusive discounts and special offers on broadband, TV, and mobile services. These limited-time deals will run until 8th December for broadband and TV services and until 11th December for mobile services, providing substantial savings and exclusive perks to both new and existing customers. Key Offers and Savings Device Offers Device Saving Data Allowance Cost per Month (36-month contract) Upfront Fee Samsung Galaxy S24 256GB Save up to £920 25GB £28.99 £30 iPhone 16 128GB Save up to £360 30GB £40.20 £30 Google Pixel 8 Pro 128GB Save up to £865 5GB £25 £30 Google Pixel 8 Pro Fold Save up to £879 5GB £51 £30 Samsung A55 128GB Save up to £360 5GB £24.92 £10 SIM Only Offers SIM Only Saving Data Allowance Cost per Month (24-month contract) Upfront Fee Unlimited SIM Save up to £264 Unlimited £20 £0 30GB SIM Save up to £144 30GB £14.99 £0 Exclusive Benefits Virgin Media O2’s Black Friday sale not only offers incredible discounts but also comes with exclusive benefits to enhance your customer experience: Priority Access: Early access to the latest products and services before they are available to the general public. Loyalty Rewards: Additional savings and perks for long-term customers. Bundle Deals: Special discounts when you combine broadband, TV, and mobile services. Special Perks To make this Black Friday even more special, Virgin Media O2 is offering additional perks for customers who take advantage of these deals: Extended Warranty: Get an extended warranty on select devices at no extra cost. Free Accessories: Complimentary accessories with the purchase of specific smartphones. Exclusive Content: Access to premium streaming services and exclusive content for a limited time. Mobile Exclusive Offers Virgin Media O2’s mobile offers are designed to provide maximum value and flexibility: Smartphone Savings: Save over £900 on a selection of the latest smartphones including the Samsung Galaxy S24, iPhone 16, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Samsung A55. EU Roaming: Enjoy inclusive EU roaming up to 25GB, allowing you to use your airtime abroad at no extra cost. Streaming Subscriptions: Access to popular streaming services like Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Netflix for up to six months free. Device Recycling: Trade in your old smartphone and receive up to £330 towards a new device. Flexible Plans: Choose mobile plans that fit your budget with adjustable data allowances and 0% APR device financing. Discounts: New Pay Monthly connections receive 20% off airtime plans through various discount programs. Students can also benefit from additional savings via UNiDAYS. Broadband Exclusive Offers Virgin Media O2’s broadband offers are tailored to provide high-speed and reliable internet at unbeatable prices: Broadband Savings: Enjoy three months free on a variety of broadband packages, with new customers saving up to £254 on selected bundles. Smart Support: Benefit from proactive monitoring of broadband performance to optimize your connection and resolve issues before they arise. Essential Security: Included in all broadband packages at no extra cost, offering cyber security software that blocks hackers and harmful content, adjustable parental controls, and built-in protection against malicious attacks. Fast, Reliable Service: Virgin Media O2 offers the highest average download speeds among UK ISPs, ensuring fast and reliable connectivity for gaming, working, and streaming. The market-leading WiFi guarantee ensures minimum download speeds of 30Mbps in every room or a £100 credit. Free Installation: Free installation is available for purchases made via Virgin Media O2’s website (usually £35). Easy Switch: Switching to Virgin Media O2’s broadband service is simple with their Easy Switch process, requiring no contact with your existing provider. Broadband Packages Broadband Package Saving What is Included Cost per Month (after first 3 months, 18-month contract) Basic Plan £86 Broadband only £28.99 Standard Plan £99 Broadband only £33.00 Premium Plan £125 Broadband only £39.99 Entertainment Bundle £182 Average download speeds of 362Mbps, 218 TV channels including Premium Movies £60.99 Ultimate Bundle £237 Average download speeds of 516Mbps, Sports HD £79 Elite Bundle £255 Average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, 218 TV channels including Premium Movies, an unlimited SIM alongside streaming subscriptions for 6 months £85 Terms and Conditions Offers are valid from 7th November 2024 to 8th December 2024 for broadband and TV services, and until 11th December 2024 for mobile services. Upfront fees and monthly costs are based on contract terms and may vary. Special perks require active subscription to eligible services. Additional terms apply for specific offers, including eligibility and availability. All offers are subject to change without prior notice. Contact Information For more details about the Black Friday sale, please visit Virgin Media O2’s Black Friday Sale or contact their customer support team. Notes to Editor No Set Up Fee: Customers purchasing online enjoy no setup fee, typically £35. Priority Benefits: Customers can save up to £500 annually on exclusive rewards and experiences through Virgin Media O2’s Priority program. Special Perks: Activate special perks worth up to £552 by subscribing to multiple Virgin Media O2 services. Elite Bundle: Not available online. Fastest Average Speed: Virgin Media O2 offers the highest average download speeds among UK ISPs, with the Elite Bundle boasting an average of 1,130Mbps. Availability is subject to network capacity and credit checks. Services are available in designated areas only. Virgin Media O2’s Elite Bundle Broadband is 16x faster than the UK average speed of 69.4Mbps, based on the UK Home Broadband Performance Report, March 2023.
Virgin Media’s Evolving Network
Virgin Media’s Evolving Network From DOCSIS vs Full Fibre (FTTP) Explore Packages Virgin Media’s Network Evolution: DOCSIS vs Full Fibre (FTTP) Virgin Media is one of the UK’s leading broadband providers and has been a pioneer in using Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) technology to deliver high-speed internet over its Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) network. While DOCSIS has played a crucial role in Virgin’s offerings, the landscape of broadband technology is shifting, with Full Fibre (FTTP) becoming the future of high-speed internet. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between DOCSIS and FTTP, and how Virgin Media is planning its transition. Virgin Media Network Upgrade Timeline Virgin Media’s Network Upgrade Timeline 2017 DOCSIS 3.1 2017: Introduction of DOCSIS 3.1 Virgin Media upgrades to DOCSIS 3.1, allowing download speeds of up to 10 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 1 Gbps. 2020 RFoG Rollout 2020: RFoG Rollout (Radio Frequency over Glass) Virgin Media starts using RFoG, where fibre is converted to coaxial for in-home connections, eliminating some older infrastructure issues. 2022 XGS-PON Rollout 2022: XGS-PON Full Fibre Rollout Virgin Media begins rolling out XGS-PON, a full-fibre solution supporting symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gbps for both downloads and uploads. 2024 Gig2 Package 2024: Gig2 Package Launched Virgin introduces the Gig2 package with 2 Gbps download speeds, exclusive to XGS-PON full fibre areas. 2028 FTTP Completion 2028: Completion of Full Fibre (FTTP) Rollout Virgin Media plans to complete the transition to a full-fibre (FTTP) network, ensuring faster speeds and more reliable connections across the UK. What is DOCSIS? DOCSIS is a set of telecommunications standards that allow internet data to be transmitted over existing cable TV lines, particularly coaxial cables. Virgin Media uses this system to deliver broadband through its HFC network, which combines fibre-optic cables for most of the journey and switches to coaxial cables for the last stretch into homes. Virgin Media has upgraded its network to DOCSIS 3.1, which supports download speeds up to 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 1 Gbps. This technology has enabled Virgin to offer ultra-fast broadband packages like Gig1, providing download speeds of up to 1130 Mbps. However, while DOCSIS 3.1 can handle impressive speeds, it introduces some limitations in terms of latency and upload capacity, especially for demanding applications like online gaming or content creation. The Limitations of DOCSIS Despite its high download speeds, DOCSIS technology struggles with latency and reliability compared to full fibre networks: Latency: DOCSIS introduces some delay due to the way signals are encoded and decoded over the cable. This delay can add up to 3.5 milliseconds (ms) of extra latency, which might not affect general browsing but can be noticeable in online gaming or video conferencing. Congestion: The HFC network shares bandwidth across users, and during peak times, this can lead to congestion, slowing down speeds and increasing latency. Ageing Infrastructure: In some areas, the coaxial cables laid in the 1980s are ageing, and issues such as signal degradation or overheating amplifiers can cause outages or inconsistent performance, especially during the summer months. Virgin’s Roll out of Full Fibre (FTTP) Broadband Full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), also known as Fibre to the Home (FTTH), is widely regarded as the superior technology for delivering broadband. In FTTP, fibre-optic cables run directly into homes, eliminating the need for coaxial cables. This means faster, more reliable internet with symmetrical upload and download speeds, which is ideal for today’s data-heavy applications. Virgin Media is currently rolling out FTTP via two approaches: 1. RFoG (Radio Frequency over Glass): This system still relies on DOCSIS technology but replaces the coaxial cables outside the home with fibre. While it eliminates some issues related to older coaxial lines, it still uses DOCSIS for in-home connections, meaning the same latency and congestion issues persist. 2. XGS-PON (10 Gigabit Symmetrical Passive Optical Network): This is a true full-fibre solution, where fibre runs directly into the home, supporting symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gbps for both downloads and uploads. Virgin’s Gig2 package, offering 2 Gbps download speeds, is exclusive to areas where XGS-PON is available. Why Full Fibre is Better Lower Latency: FTTP reduces latency significantly, which is crucial for gaming, live streaming, and real-time communications. Gamers on full fibre connections typically experience ping times as low as 2-5 ms, compared to 15-25 ms on DOCSIS networks. Symmetrical Speeds: FTTP offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, which are becoming increasingly important as more people work from home, upload content, or participate in video calls. Future Proofing: With FTTP, Virgin Media can easily upgrade to 25 Gbps or even 50 Gbps in the future, as only the equipment at either end of the fibre connection needs to be changed. DOCSIS, by contrast, would require significant infrastructure changes to achieve similar performance. Virgin Media’s Full Fibre Transition Virgin Media has ambitious plans to upgrade its entire network to FTTP by 2028. This will involve replacing its existing HFC network, allowing all customers to benefit from the superior speed, reliability, and low latency of fibre-to-the-home connections. By the time the transition is complete, Virgin Media’s broadband will be on par with or superior to other full-fibre networks, such as BT’s Openreach. The cost of upgrading to full fibre is significant, but Virgin Media expects it to be more cost-effective in the long run. Currently, it costs around £100 per home to switch to FTTP, which is just £40 more than upgrading to DOCSIS 4.0, the next iteration of the DOCSIS standard. However, FTTP will eliminate the need for further investments in DOCSIS upgrades, making it a smarter long-term move.
Virgin Media Grantham
Virgin Media Grantham Virgin Media O2 Connects Grantham Explore Packages Virgin Media Gig2 Broadband in Grantham Nexfibre and Virgin Media Gig2 Availability in Grantham Nexfibre and Virgin Media Gig2 Availability in Grantham Source: Nexfibre Q2 2024 Roll Out Report Thousands of homes in Grantham now have access to Virgin Media O2’s gigabit broadband network, providing residents with ultra-fast internet speeds of up to 1,130Mbps (Gig1) – nearly 27 times faster than the previous local average with a more recent introduction of Gig2 (54 times faster) Residents in areas like the town centre, Manthorpe, Gonerby Hill Foot, and Great Gonerby can now enjoy this high-speed service, revolutionising how they connect online. Virgin Media O2’s gigabit broadband allows users to transfer large files, stream TV shows, download films, and play online games in seconds. With these speeds, households can operate multiple devices simultaneously without interruptions, enhancing productivity and entertainment experiences. Expanding the UK’s Gigabit Network Since 2021, Virgin Media 02 has steadily increased its network coverage in Grantham, connecting millions more homes to next-generation broadband. Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media O2, commented, “Our gigabit broadband network is growing rapidly, providing millions of UK homes with access to ultra-fast speeds. We are leading the charge in helping the UK meet its broadband targets, ensuring consumers benefit from future-proof connectivity.” Gareth Davies, MP for Grantham and Stamford, voiced his excitement for the continued rollout: “It’s fantastic that Grantham now benefits from Gigabit connectivity through the Virgin Media O2 network. This infrastructure boost will drive local growth, create new job opportunities, and improve the quality of life for students, business owners, and residents.” Investing in the Future of UK Connectivity Since the original 2021 announcement, Virgin Media O2 has reinforced its long-term investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure, increasing its commitment to £10 billion over the next five years. This investment will further expand its fibre network and gigabit reach, ensuring even more UK households can access ultra-fast internet speeds. In line with government goals, Virgin Media O2’s ongoing upgrades contribute to the target of having 85% of UK premises connected to gigabit speeds by 2025. The company remains on track to complete its network upgrades ahead of this deadline, supporting the UK’s ambition for widespread connectivity. Looking further ahead, Virgin Media O2 has set its sights on upgrading its fixed network to full fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) by 2028. This upgrade will offer symmetrical speeds of up to 10Gbps, ensuring that Virgin Media O2 remains a leader in the UK broadband market as demand for faster internet continues to rise. Gig1 Broadband – Next-Level Connectivity Virgin Media O2’s Gig1 broadband, launched in 2021, is now widely available to both new and existing customers. The service comes with the Hub 4 router, which delivers intelligent WiFi coverage for strong, reliable connectivity throughout the home. Gig1 can be bundled with additional TV, mobile, and telephone services, with prices starting at £62 per month on an 18-month contract. Virgin Media O2’s continued investment in its broadband network, alongside its plans for future upgrades, ensures that UK residents will benefit from cutting-edge connectivity for years. Original Press Release: Virgin Media O2 connects Grantham to gigabit broadband