Virgin Media Business Launches New SME-Focused Price Plans

Virgin Media Business (VMB) has announced three new price plans which it says will greatly benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK by reducing.

Starting at £50 a month, the new tariffs launch following research conducted by the company which found that over a quarter (26 percent) of SME owners said understanding what digital technology they needed was their biggest obstacle to growth.

VMB is hoping its new plans will help to reduce the complexity of such decisions, including the low-cost Red Value package, which provides up to 50 Mbps connection, unlimited calls and internet usage for £50 a month, including a free two-month offer.

Also new is the Red Speed bundle, offering up to 152 Mbps, unlimited call and internet usage, as well as a Hub 2AC, from £60 a month. A £50 installation charge applies in both cases.

Finally the Red Performance Bundle provides between 30-100 Mbps connection via managed internet access with the same upstream and downstream dedicated speed and capacity, a six-hour service level agreement, unlimited calls and internet usage, and also includes ISDN30 for digital voice connections. It starts at £500 a month, with the first two months free.

Full expansion

“Small and medium-sized firms should be the fuel of our economy powered by simple, flexible technology, but we feel that industry and the Government need to look at ways it can provide more support and direct assistance to this group which is UK plc’s driving force,” said Mike Smith, director, SMB at Virgin Media Business.

“Today we are launching new packages for SMEs that are simple, clear and provide much needed flexibility as businesses grow. With simpler products, better skills and backing from the top, the UK’s businesses will grow faster and that can only be good for the whole economy.”

VMB’s research also showed that businesses were failing to appreciate the growth potential in modern digital technology, with only one in five SMEs saying that digital training was a key area for investment in the next five years.

“It goes without saying that small businesses want value for money and reliability from their communications service provider,” commented Ovum analyst Pauline Trotter.

“But many need so much more, since they do not typically have ready access to IT and ecommerce skills in-house. It’s therefore good to see a focus on practical advice and business-grade support from Virgin in its new offers for SMB.”

The news is the latest in a series of business offerings from VMB, which last year also announced a 4G service designed especially for enterprises. Running off EE’s existing 4G network, the service allows customers to cut costs and reduce complexity by buying all of their communications services from a single supplier.

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