Virgin’s 100Mbps Broadband May Launch This Week

Virgin Media’s promised 100Mbps broadband service may be launched as soon as this week, according to hints dropped in a speech by Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday.

Speaking to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) on the government’s plans for boosting the UK’s “economic dynamism”, Cameron used Virgin’s upcoming fast broadband launch as an example of a successful collaboration between the government and industry.

Launch this week

“We’ll work with utility companies to get more investment in our energy, with construction companies on our roads, with the telecommunications industry on broadband,” Cameron said, according to a transcript published by the Conservative Party. “This collaboration is already working. Virgin Media is rolling out a new superfast broadband service this week.”

Cameron said the coalition government had published a plan setting out its plans for investment in improving the UK’s infrastructure.

He said government support is helping give the UK a first-class broadband network.

“Combine that with the support we are giving in rural areas and BT’s planned investment and it will mean that within two years, over 13 million homes and businesses in the UK – including some in our rural areas – will be hooked up to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world,” he said.

Virgin Media confirmed it will be launching 100Mbps broadband “soon”, but declined to give further details.

BT service on the way

“Virgin Media currently provides the fastest broadband service in the UK, with our 50Mbps service, and we’re excited that we will soon be revealing the details of our new ultrafast 100Mbps service,” the company said in a statement.

Virgin announced the high-end service in February, saying it would be launched by the end of this year. The company demonstrated 200Mbps broadband technology in March.

Last week BT revealed high-end broadband plans of its own, saying it plans to launch a 110Mbps, fibre-based service in March 2011.