Virgin Media begins taking orders for 100Mbps

UK cable operator Virgin Media has begun taking pre-registration orders for its 100Mbps internet service.

The 100Mbps service will go on sale from December, following trials that the company says saw internet usage increase exponentially as more than one person in a household began to use the internet at the same time. The service offers upload speeds of 10Mbps, and Virgin Media is deploying customer premises equipment that it says could be used to deliver speeds of up to 400Mbps in the future. The service, which will be available for £35 (€40) a month as part of a bundle or £45 as a single product, will be rolled out progressively across the company’s network, initially in parts of London, the South East and Yorkshire. The rollout is expected to be complete by the middle of 2012, ultimately enabling about 12.7 million homes across the UK to gain access.