One million households got a free broadband boost overnight – here's why
Virgin Media broadband customers get a free internet upgrade in new roll-out.
8th January 2020 14:46
by Brean Horne from interactive investor
Virgin Media broadband customers get a free internet upgrade in new roll-out.
Over one million Virgin Media customers have received a free broadband boost of up to five times their previous speed.
The upgrade, which started on Tuesday, will move customers on to Virgin Media’s M100 package, meaning they’ll benefit from an average broadband speed of 108Mbps - twice as fast as the UK average.
Under the plan, more than half a million Virgin Media customers will see their broadband speeds double and some will experience a five-fold speed increase.
To be eligible for the free broadband speed boost, customers must have joined Virgin media before 1 December 2019 and be on one of the following tariffs:
- M50
- L50
- L70
- Capped Fibre 20
Upgrades will happen automatically, and customers will get a notification once it’s completed.
Virgin’s roll-out aims to reward loyal customers and make internet access more accessible.
Annie Brooks, executive director of connectivity at Virgin Media, say: “We’re starting 2020 with a broadband bang by rewarding our loyal customers with this free speed upgrade so even more people can experience our ultrafast, future-proof connectivity.”
“As the UK’s fastest widely available broadband provider, we want to banish buffering and let our customers live without limits so they can do everything they want to online, at the same time, without delay."
How to fix a slow internet connection
If you think your broadband speed is slower than it should be, an online broadband checker can help you find out how much you are getting.
Companies like uSwitch offer free broadband speed checkers online.
Not all households will get the average speed quoted by providers in adverts.
This is because companies advertise average speeds available to 50% of their customers at peak times.
So, 50% could end up with slower speeds.
If your broadband speed is much slower than you’re paying for, get in touch with your provider for advice.
There could be a fault on your line, problems with your set-up or even a temporary service fault that could lower your broadband speed.
If your broadband provider isn't able to assist you, then it’s worth switching to a new one that offers better service.
This article was originally published in our sister magazine Moneywise, which ceased publication in August 2020.
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