Cambridgeshire Benefits From Superfast Broadband Speeds Of 8Gbps

Some areas of the UK could soon enjoy superfast broadband speeds of 8Gbps, which is 216 times faster than the average for the country.

Virgin Media has revealed it is successfully trialling broadband connections that offer these fast download speeds in Cambridgeshire for a period of six months.

It is achieving this with the continued investment from, and collaboration with, Liberty Global, using Virgin Media’s existing fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection, so no dedicated line is needed.

Executive director of connectivity at Virgin Media Richard Sinclair said: “We’re committed to making Britain faster and this trial pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.”

He went on to say: “With the volume of our customers’ internet usage almost doubling every year, trials like this will ensure we have the capability to meet the demand for data-hungry services in the future.”

Fifty homes in Cambridgeshire’s Papworth will benefit from the fast download and upload speeds for the next half a year, which will enable them to access data in a matter of seconds.

For instance, with this speed, they can download a high definition film in just five seconds, compared with 15 minutes on the typical UK internet connection.

They can also upload 300 high-resolution holiday photos greater than 3GB in merely three seconds, which is significantly faster than the one hour and ten minutes for the rest of the country.

It will also help employees using their business telephone systems for a video conference call, as the connection will be far superior to the UK average.

There is definitely a need for better connectivity in Britain, which the government is aware of, as it announced in November it is committing £200 million for full-fibre broadband across the entire country, including in rural areas.