Virgin Media recently held an open demonstration (in London UK) of what has been recorded as the world’s fastest-ever connection speed, with plans to develop the technology into one that can open to public users with potential for development.
The trial was considered a success, with the full extent of the 1.5Gb broadband (download speed) on display from the cable provider. The speed is said to be 240 times quicker than the national average broadband of England, with business technology community TechHub amongst the first companies to test the powerful operation.
With the application of the same technology and infrastructure as their existing ‘fibre broadband network’ (valued at £13b), Virgin also claims to have ‘future-proofed’ their service with ‘DOCSIS’ technology, that provides a theoretical ‘near-infinite capacity’ for the future.
Virgin Media’s ‘executive director of broadband’ Jon James gave an official statement: “As people are simultaneously connecting more gadgets to the internet and doing more online than ever before, we wanted to explore what our unique fibre optic network is capable of. At speeds of up to 1.5Gb, Virgin Media is delivering some of the fastest broadband in the world and, thanks to our ongoing investment, we’re able to anticipate and lead the way in meeting growing demand for bandwidth as future services and applications come online.”
Government communications minister Ed Vaizey was also at the launch, and gave his opinion on the developments: “It is fantastic to see the fastest internet speeds in the world over cable being trialled here in the UK. This exciting development will help attract new companies and entrepreneurs to the area, bringing new jobs and growth to this part of the capital. Last year the prime minister set out our ambition for London’s East End to become a world-leading technology city to rival Silicon Valley. Developments like Virgin Media’s will help make this ambition a reality.”
TechHub’s co-founder Elizabeth Varley concluded with a user’s view on the service: “TechHub members are having great fun with the super speeds and are looking forward to trying out new ideas and applications. Superfast broadband is critical to continued innovation across the UK and Virgin Media’s 1.5Gb trial is a great opportunity to explore the future potential.”
In the meantime, BT are in the process of creating their own rival developments, though being at the preparatory stages of a ‘technical trial’ for a 1Gbps service (occurring in Kesgrave (England)) will seemingly pale in comparison to Virgin’s advancements. How long will it be before such high speeds are made available to the general public? Will it potentially bring online TV streaming to a higher quality than ever before?
