Significant discount for 50 Mbps connections
Virgin Media, in a recent announcement, has brought about significant discounts in their 50 Mbps broadband package, meaning that unlike most other broadband providers, high – speed internet doesn’t have to come with a high price as well.
New customers enrolling in the UK with Virgin Media will only be charged a mere £18 per month for the first 3 months of their subscription in order to access the high speed XXL 50 Mbps package, though users will have to pay through Direct Debit or eBilling.
Access to this top speed internet broadband package will also entail users having to subscribe for the £11 per month virgin phone line service and, after the promotional 3 month period, the cost of the package will increase to a nominal 28 pounds monthly.
If new customers do not require the Virgin phone line, then they can choose not to take up the offer and can still be up for the 50 Mbps service. However, the promotional price of the service for the first 3 months increases to 33 pounds monthly and then 38 pounds after the expiration of the promotional period.
All broadband packages being offered by Virgin Media also come with a free modem as well as a Wireless N router, free PCGuard Total, free installation, 100 free photo prints every month, unlimited storage space on their network and automatic backup. Virgin Media also offers the best downlink and uplink speed currently available in the UK regardless of the chosen package.
This promotional deal from Virgin, according to an industry expert, provide amazing value for money with the best speed possible. For people who download a lot or stream TV or music through iPlayer or Spotify, this deal should be hard to resist!
Virgin Media is currently working on launching a new broadband service which should enables its users to have downlink speeds of about 200 Mbps and is putting in a lot of effort to ensure that a lot of subscribers get onto their 50 Mbps package before they roll the 200 Mbps package out.
Excessively high demand for Virgin ADSL services
Reports in recent times have indicated that the demand for consumer ADSL services which were re – launched by Virgin Media is too high. This has resulted in delays for users who want to sign up to these services.
A recent report also mentioned that customers who want to sign up for the re – launched ADSL broadband service might have to be ready for some delays due to the extremely high number of customers that are attempting to sign up for this service. Virgin is providing this service for people who don’t live in their cable coverage area but who would like to experience a broadband bundle with television, broadband and telephone services.
Virgin has claimed that there has been a rise in the demand for their service, with a number of customers wanting to leave from BT and make use of the Virgin ADSL service, thus enabling them to have the same provider for their phone, television and broadband service. However, this has resulted in delays for the many people who want to take advantage of this service. The company has gone on a promotional drive for their relaunched service throughout August, saying that they are capable of offering 20 Mbps connections and their own phone line rental.
In a recent interview, an official from Virgin Media said that since the re-launch of the National service with line rental and their promise of Best Speed, they have been receiving a large number of new orders, which has resulted in some delays in enabling customers to use their super – fast ADSL broadband services.
He also mentioned that they have solved the problems of modem stock and they are working at full – capacity to ensure that customers gets connected as soon as possible. He also apologized for the delays and inconveniences that customers are facing.
Virgin Broadband Media Services finding it difficult to cope with customer volumes
In order to streamline its non – cable services with that of the other providers in terms of packages being offered, a recent report has said that Virgin Media has drawn up new plans for the ADSL services that it provides.
The line rental option, which was available only for cable customers, will be available for ADSL customers as well as an upping of the connection speeds to 20 Mbps. This is being done by Virgin Media. Until recent times, Virgin Media has not given ADSL its full attention even though they only have a 50% coverage of the population with the cable services. However, the provision of ADSL services would make it possible to cover at least 98% of the country.
However, a note was made that the extremely high level of delay were being experienced by people who were moving to the ADSL service, said a Virgin Media spokesman.
The spokesman added that since the re – launch of the National service with line rental and with the promise of the best speed available, they have had a large number of orders. This has resulted in some delays in moving customers to the ADSL broadband service.
Customers who have been waiting for a long time to get their router have been told that they will get their router as soon as problems in acquiring these routers have been solved, the spokesman said.
The spokesman continued by saying that they have solved the problems of modem stock and are working at full capacity in order to allow customers to get their service as soon as possible. They also apologized for all delays that customers have had to face due to these problems.
Virgin is known for offering the best connection speeds when compared to the top providers and is also notable for being one of the few providers to provide line rental and broadband on the very same bill, meaning that this news is a real dampener.
August 2009 sees Virgin Media breaking the 7 Mbps barrier
Virgin Media has been awarded the distinction of being the first ever broadband provider in the country to provide speeds of more than 7 Mbps, according to a research conducted recently by a popular broadband news site.
The recent survey has shown that the broadband services which are currently being provided by Virgin Media are at least twice as fast as other broadband providers in terms of the average downlink speed, expect 2 service providers, which are Be Broadband and O2.
Virgin Media’s fibre optic network, according to an industry expert, is the benchmark for top – class broadband in the country. The 7 Mbps barrier being trampled down is yet another first in the list of achievements by Virgin Media.
A large number of broadband speed tests were conducted by the broadband news site with a help of a set of regular broadband users located throughout the country during August 2009 and the results were then calculated.
The industry expert also added that the fibre optic network is clearly providing the edge for Virgin Media. He also urged the government to take seriously plans to bring fibre optic cables to all homes in the UK and not just the urban areas which are being supplied by Virgin. A new digital divide is currently prevailing in the country, with more than 50% of the population unable to get access to fibre optic cable, thereby leaving them behind!
The overall average broadband speed over all broadband network providers for the month of August was about 4.33 Mbps which, though it was higher than the July 2009 results, didn’t actually beat the 4.340 Mbps record set in June. The improvement of the broadband network of Virgin Media was the reason for the increase in the average speed.
The completion recently of the high – speed fibre broadband network of Virgin, along with the new special offers on the 50 Mbps package, is sure to bring about more increases in average speed during September 2009.
Neil Berkett
Virgin Media chief executive
Neil Berkett assumes the enviable position as CEO and Director of Virgin Media, Inc., one of the key telecommunications and media company based in the UK. He has served as its COO at the old NTL when he joined the company in September 2005 and engineered the merger between NTL and Telewest to become what is Virgin Media. Right before his appointment, he has served as acting CEO after Steve Burch resigned his CEO position in August last year.
Promotion
Chairman Jim Mooney is all but praises for Neil, proclaiming before the board that Neil more than deserves the promotion. He clearly demonstrated “strategic vision and operational experience to take the company into its next phase of growth”: after driving the successful NTL-Telewest merger. He added that under him, the company has seen the best financial results since the merger.
During the year Virgin media saw its total customer base grow to almost 5 million with Neil doing most of the work designing and promoting the company’s products and services for the new millennia. The company saw an added 61,000 subscribers for its TV service up from a 20,000 increase in the previous months.
Excellent Credentials
Neil has more than 25 years of corporate experience in highly competitive customer-facing businesses. Before joining Virgin Media before the merger in 2005, the now 53-yar old Neil Berkett was the managing director at Lloyds TSB Bank plc since 2003 in charge of its distribution. He was the COO of Prudential Assurance Co., Ltd for a year since 2002. Before that, he occupied a concurrent role as CEO of chief executive of Trek Investco Ltd and a principal at Marsh Mill Consulting Ltd. He headed the retail operations of St George Bank and had worked overseas before that as Sr General Manager of Citibank’s Australian division, CEO at Eastwest Airlines Australia and Financial Controller at ICL Australia in succession.
Steve Page
Mobile Commerce’s Head Manager, on Patterning with Virgin Media
Broadband service giant Virgin Media and Mobile Commerce have formed a business partnership that is ushering a new mobile portal for Virgin Media’s broadband service users that is unique in the UK.
Better known as RoundU, this new portal enables mobile broadband subscribers of Virgin Media in the UK to enjoy access to the information provided by Mobile Commerce’s location-specific database through GPS technology.
Mutual Partnership Benefits
Mobile Commerce is UK’s leading specialist firm on location-specific data delivery. Through RoundU, Virgin Media broadband subscribers now have the facility to search for their exact location as per GPS assistance and have a wealth of information about their location at their fingertips. The information includes Thompson business listings, leisure and amusement update, restaurant and cinema prices as well as movies showing, hotels, car rentals and other pertinent useful information that are unique to the location.
The Head Manager of Mobile Commerce, Steve Page, is more than elated for being chosen by Virgin Media as a business and operating partner in its ongoing efforts to differentiate its mobile broadband services with the GPS-tuned database technology that Mobile Commerce commands.
Quality Services
Mobile Commerce partnership will provide Virgin Media broadband users with about 2 million business listings in around 11,000 sites throughout the UK, This is like having a local phone directory to help the subscriber decide which hotel to say, restaurant to eat or movies to watch while they are in the country. These benefits have not escaped Steve Page who has expressed his gratitude on behalf of Mobile Commerce to Virgin Media for working together as team in this effort. He assured customers that Mobile Commerce and Virgin Media are committed to bringing quality service and product delivery with this partnership.
Virgin Media plans to roll out this new portal features as part of the broadband services it packages for its customer base.
Virgin Mobile Broadband
Virgin Mobile is an affiliate of the giant Virgin Media since early 2007. It is not a telecoms company on its own like O2 or Vodaphone. Rather, it is actually classified as a “mobile virtual network operator or MVNO – a company that uses a Telco’s network of its mobile phone and broadband service which in Virgin’s case is T-Mobile. It was, in fact, the world’s first MVNO when it launched in 1999. But it was the last to get into the 3G band wagon, offering the service in the UK starting last October.
It offers only one USB broadband dongle, limited monthly postpaid plans and no pay-as-you-go plan. Its bundled broadband service with a laptop is rather late in coming but is unique. Rather than offering Toshibas or Samsungs like other mobile network operators do, Virgin is opting to put out its own brand with the Virgin Media Freedom Netbook for just 20 per month on a package that has 10 GB download limit with fixed line broadband and telephone.
Its advantage lies in the fact that it is positioned within the Virgin Media Quadplay package that offers cable TV, telephone, fixed line cable broadband and mobile phone services. The mobile broadband service should put it as a 5th service, but we don’t see a Virgin Media Quintoplay forthcoming anytime soon.
Virgin’s Post Paid Plan
Virgin Mobile offers a monthly payment scheme on a couple of Post Paid plans. You can opt to get a 1 GB download limit on its 12-month post paid contract at a special price of ₤5 when you buy with L or XL cable broadband. Or get a larger 3 GB download limit for 18 months at ₤15 per month. In either plans you get a free broadband dongle with a 3GB download allowance and advertised speeds up to 1.8Mb.
Why Choose Virgin Mobile
- There are no connection fees.
- The sleek black and silver socket is the same Huawei E116 used by T-Mobile that’s compatible with either Mac or PC. It has a socket for external antenna for improved mobile reception and a microSD slot that makes it a flash drive in one.
- Virgin uses the T-Mobile network, so you can be confident about its coverage across much of the UK. You just won’t get access to T-mobile’s Wi-Fi hotspots.
There’s a 6-month half price on all Post-Paid contracts.
RoundU
Local Information Services from Virgin Media
Virgin Media has recently announced the availability of its new mobile internet service portal it has commercial christened RoundU. The new service is designed and marketed for mobile handsets users in the United Kingdom using Virgin Media’s latest broadband internet service offerings. RoundU is the trademark for its unique service integrating your mobile handset location with a comprehensive wealth of useful local information.
Partnering with Mobile Commerce
Virgin has partnered with and tapped into Mobile Commerce’s comprehensive business partners that include Itchy Guides, The Press Association and Toptable to provide an impressive range of information that includes Thompson business lists, UK arts and entertainment you can access right from your mobile device.
As a location specialist, Mobile Commerce is a single point of contact for providing its subscribers with important commercial and business information. With RoundU on their handsets, subscribers can search for their exact location and be provided with a vast wealth of information about where they are. This includes Thompson listings, cultural amenities for business or personal use, respectively.
Moreover, subscribers can also search information about amusement and entertainment sites from many associations as well as travel guides that anyone can use regarding specific cities or locations that interest them.
Mobile Commerce is only too happy to have been selected by Virgin media as it brings to Virgin Media access to about 2 million business listings and this will be made available to nearly 11,000 location in the country with the RoundU service. The database access will cater to the many needs of its subscribers like where to shop and dine, where and what movies are showing, what hotels to stay in and other useful travel information unique to where they are staying as identified by their mobile handset’s location.
Virgin Media formed a new partnership
Just recently, Virgin Media announced its new offering to their customers which will come in this exciting package: an extensive variety of reliable sets of mobile broadband, which comes in a very fast and reliable broadband connection in the UK and the newest offering, which is the mobile portal.
More recognized as RoundU, this new portal is specifically designed for mobile broadband users from the United Kingdom using Virgin Media's newest broadband service. It aims to offer information regarding the subscriber’s physical location.
Mobile commerce is a location-based specialist, which provides important information to their subscribers.
Through the use of RoundU service, people will have the ability to search for their precise location and be furnished with vast information regarding the location they are currently in. The information they can find include the following: the most accessible amenities, and Thompson listings, for personal and business purposes respectively.
In addition, they can also find some other information regarding amusement sites from various associations and society. There are also certain guides and other useful information that an individual can make use of to know more about a specific location.
Steve Page, Mobile Commerce’s head manager expressed his gratitude and pleasure to be partnered with Virgin Media. He said that he was truly gratified when Virgin Media agreed to work with his company. He assured the people who are supporting them that they will continue to provide them with quality products and services.
Almost two million business listings, and up to 11 000 location sites in the UK will be provided to its users by RoundU. This will cater to their various needs like where to dine in and where to stay and enjoy while they are in the country.
Virgin Media Offers Free Laptop Deal
In this time of great competition between communication firms Virgin has come out with a bundle offering a free laptop.
Recent reports show that Virgin Media has started to offer a new bundle deal to customers. This particular bundle includes a laptop, cable broadband service up to 20Mbps, unlimited voice calls to landlines in the United Kingdom, at an introductory price of £28.95 per month.
The laptop included in the bundle is an HP 550 Notebook PC currently valued at about £329 in local stores. The unit comes with Windows Vista Home Basic and has a 15.4 inch widescreen liquid crystal display screen. The package also comes with a free wireless router and a security software package that can help protect the new laptop and network from threats like viruses and pop up advertising.
Customers who avail of this promotion must sign up for up to a minimum of eighteen months. The introductory price of £28.95 applies for the first six months of the contract. The standard monthly fee, which is about ten pound more than the introductory price, is applied for the rest of the contract duration. Customers may also add a digital television service to the package at an additional eleven pounds per month.
Current market trends show the increasing numbers of special offers, like this one by Virgin Media, are becoming the standard fare among telecommunications companies. The technique of throwing in special deals and packages that often include high tech gadgets, such as laptops, mobile phones, or free coverage periods and discounts seem to be working. New customers should be aware of these discounts and free products in order to make the best value for money deals available in this ever changing market.
