Landline Comparison reveals Virgin Media announce a 30MB broadband to replace its current 20MB offering.

Last updated -  31/03/2011

Cable broadband provider, Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com), have announced that a new 30MB landline and broadband deal is to replace it’s existing offering of 20MB broadband. The new service will be offered from 1st February and existing customers, on the 20MB broadband service can upgrade for a one-off payment.

The announcement follows hot on the heels of the continued roll-out last month of Virgin’s ultra-fast 100MB broadband service. The growth in broadband service is seen to match the growing demand from consumers – due largely to more households having multiple PC’s and users accessing more services that require fast download speeds, e.g. on-line gaming and video streaming.

Read more about Broadband Download Speeds in our guide.

Virgin also claim that they will be able to deliver broadband speeds much closer to the ‘up to’ limit than their competitors who use telephone wires to deliver their broadband services.

Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media explained: “As consumers continually demand more and more from their broadband, the unique power of our next-generation network means that we’re able to turn up the dial to meet their needs. With so many devices connecting to the internet at home these days, our new 30Mb service will give Virgin Media families that extra boost needed to make everything run smoothly, with speeds that don’t slow down depending on where you live.”

We’ll highlight download speed as part of the package features showing what’s available in your area.

Landline Comparison looks at the proposals by Fujitsu to create a network for superfast Landline and Broadband deals.

Last updated – 13/05/2011

Global giant Fujitsu are planning to lay a fibre optic cable network across the UK capable of delivering superfast Landline and Broadband services direct to the home. The network would take advantage of the fact that BT (www.bt.com) has to open up its infrastructure (such as Poles and Ducts) to competitor networks to provide Landline and Broadband Services.

However, Fujitsu’s plans involve taking the fibre optic cabling right up to the individual homes, as opposed to BT’s fibre-to-the-cabinet Broadband Services.

Whilst Fujitsu would lay the cabling network they would still require UK Internet Service Providers to actually use it to offer their services to customers but Talk Talk (www.talktalk.co.uk) and Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) have both expressed strong interest in using it. Currently many UK consumers cannot receive their  or Broadband Services via a cable network.

Whilst the proposals may sound rosy to the UK consumers demanding quicker Broadband Services there are a couple of potential problems that will need to be overcome. Firstly, Fujitsu would need Government funding of around £500m, which would be virtually all of the money the Government has set aside to deliver superfast broadband services to rural parts of the UK. Secondly, BT and 3rd parties such as Fujitsu are currently struggling to reach an agreement on how much BT should charge for using its infrastructure.

However, if the plans do go ahead the move could broaden the provision of superfast broadband services and promote much more competition, which should surely be in the interests of the UK Broadband consumers.

Compare Landline and Broadband Services in your area using our Postcode search below.

Landline Comparison reports that Ofcom, the Watchdog authority for the UK’s telecommunications industry has revealed it may have to intervene in the pricing row over access to BT’s infrastructure.

Under an agreement reached last year BT (www.bt.com) were instructed to allow other Internet Service Providers to use BT’s Telegraph Poles and Ducts to lay their own fibre cable network. This forms part of the strategy to open up much of the UK to high speed broadband services whilst at the same time promoting competition to protect the consumer’s best interests. Current Landline and Broadband Deals using the high speed networks are restricted to the high population areas that make laying their own cable network worthwhile to ISPs such as Virgin Media.

Under the agreement BT would be able to charge the other ISPs to use its infrastructure but so far the parties involved have been unable to agree a price – with 3rd party ISPs including Talk Talk (www.talktalk.co.uk) and Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) writing to the Communications Minister to object to the ‘unreasonable pricing’. With the deadline for agreement of June fast approaching it may well fall to Ofcom to step in to help the parties involved reach a solution. Customers in the rural areas will need access to a new network if they wish to access Landline Deals and Broadband Services with greater delivery speeds.

As Ed Richards, Chief Exec of Ofcom, explained the issue is difficult as the 2 sides occupy such opposing positions, “if price goes up it’s obviously good for BT and if it goes down it’s good for everyone else”.

The issue has the potential to impact on the Government’s stated policy of aiming to have the whole the country able to access superfast broadband by 2015

Search for Landline and Broadband Deals in your area and compare key features.