Virgin Media, the UK's leading internet service provider, today announced it would begin the roll-out of a 100Mb broadband service, the fastest available commercial product in the UK, by the end of 2010.

Virgin Media customers will be the first to get broadband speeds more than 24 times the average speed provided by other ISPs*. The new speed tier is designed for tech-savvy users who want the very best the internet has to offer, and will act as Virgin Media's flagship product in a strong portfolio of broadband speeds.

Virgin Media already leads the market for next generation broadband services in the UK and will have increased its top broadband tier from 20Mb to 100Mb in less than two years. By leveraging the technological superiority of its fibre optic cable network, the company has brought next generation internet speeds to 12.6 million homes throughout the country and is the only mass-market provider of ultrafast speeds in the UK. In addition, Virgin Media's cable network means it is able to deliver very close to advertised headline speeds, unlike its ADSL competitors**, or that claimed by other operators' embryonic investment in fibre.

Virgin Media's chief executive officer, Neil Berkett, said: "There is nothing we can't do with our fibre optic cable network, and the upcoming launch of our flagship 100Mb service will give our customers the ultimate broadband experience. Just as we led the way by launching the UK's first ever next generation service, we want to keep giving our customers the very best broadband available, by investing in technological innovation and transforming the experience they have when they are online. The launch of Virgin Media's 100Mb service will be a historic moment and will mean the UK will be comparable to other leading broadband nations."

The 100Mb service will allow users to download a music album in as little as 5 seconds, an hour long TV show in 31 seconds and an HD movie in 7 minutes 25 seconds. This is significantly faster than the time it would take a person using the fastest speeds on offer from competitors*** where a music album could be downloaded on average in 1 minute 15 seconds, an hour long TV show in 7 minutes 18 seconds and an HD movie in 1 hour 44 minutes.

In another major development for the broadband sector, Virgin Media will extend its 200Mb pilot to Coventry where it will look to recruit hundreds of customers to test the internet with this supercharged speed. The 200Mb pilot, which began in May 2009 in Kent, has been focusing on future technologies and applications, such as home teleconferencing and downloading HD programmes on-demand, which are likely to require fast speeds.

Virgin Media has 4.1 million broadband customers, with most on cable broadband, and currently offers 10Mb, 20Mb and 50Mb services.

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