Cable operator Virgin Media became the first Internet provider to roll out a mass-market super-fast broadband service in Britain on Monday, launching a 50 megabits per second offering.
The average broadband speed in Britain is between 4 and 5 MB.
Virgin said the new service, which had been heavily trailed, would be almost nine times the average headline UK speed and cost 51 pounds ($76.73) per month on a standalone basis, or 35 pounds a month when taken with an 11 pound phone line.
Virgin customers with other services such as TV would also benefit from package discounts.
The Virgin cable network covers around half of the country and the super-fast service will reach 40 percent of the network by the end of 2008. It should reach the rest of Virgin's network, or a possible 12.6 million homes, by the summer of 2009.
The average broadband speed in Britain is between 4 and 5 MB.
Virgin said the new service, which had been heavily trailed, would be almost nine times the average headline UK speed and cost 51 pounds ($76.73) per month on a standalone basis, or 35 pounds a month when taken with an 11 pound phone line.
Virgin customers with other services such as TV would also benefit from package discounts.
The Virgin cable network covers around half of the country and the super-fast service will reach 40 percent of the network by the end of 2008. It should reach the rest of Virgin's network, or a possible 12.6 million homes, by the summer of 2009.
