Super-fast broadband being tested by Virgin

Virgin Media customers in Folkestone, Ashford and Dover are participating in a trial that provides a super-fast broadband connection through a BT line, in an effort to win back customers they lost during the battle with Sky over TV channels.

It is believed that at least 40,000 Virgin customers cancelled their subscription and transferred to Sky after losing channels such as Sky One which broadcasted programmes such as The Simpsons, 24 and Lost.

The broadband connection is 50 megabits per second – double the speed of a connection through a BT landline. With the faster connection, customers of Virgin Media will have access to services including high-definition TV and films on demand and household applications such as online video gaming and home surveillance.

The cable network used by Virgin can cope with more information than phone lines, meaning a faster connection and therefore having an advantage over its competitors such as BSkyB.

Consequently, Virgin is keen to take advantage of this following the considerable losses it suffered in the battle with Sky over the use of Sky channels on Virgin TV packages.

Acting chief executive, Neil Berkett, remarked that Virgin intends to place itself in between Freeview, where viewers purchase a set-top box for a one-off payment, and Sky, where viewers pay £50 a month to receive hundreds of TV channels.

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