Virgin Media has announced that it is providing London with internet speeds that are approximately 240 times faster than the national average.

Virgin Media, a leading broadband provider in the UK, has already used its cable network to deliver internet speeds of up to 100 MB to residential customers throughout over half of the UK. Now, Virgin Media is offering internet speeds of up to 1.5 Gb/s, which is 240 times faster than the national average. Every cable home is connected to a fiber optic network by a high-grade coaxial line, offering state-of-the-art technology and speeds. Those around Old Street, aka "Silicon Roundabout," are the subjects enjoying the 1.5 Gb/s and 150 Mb/s upload trial, including technology entrepreneurs at TechHub and businesses such as BespokeBanter.com and soproductions.tv. 

"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," said Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media. "At speeds of up to 1.5 Gb/s, 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."

Virgin Media's network, which utilizes DOCSIS2 technology, offers a "future-proofed" platform with near infinite capacity, and is capable of bonding multiple downstream and upstream channels together. They can be used at the same time by a single user to obtain faster speeds.

"It is fantastic to see the fastest internet speeds in the world over cable being trialed here in the UK," said Communications Minister Ed Vaizey. "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."

These speeds have been achieved thanks to a £13 billion private investment by Virgin Media. The UK hopes to use this technology to support future internet-related endeavors, such as online education and remote healthcare.