Incidentally, the cable broadband network operator that is also competing with BT in the nation-wide rollout of superfast fibre optic broadband, has announced a few days back that it would be testing the fastest broadband in the world as demand for lightning-fast broadband connections was growing.

The proposed broadband service, according to Virgin Media would be capable of delivering download speeds of up to 1.5Gbps (gigabits per second), which is more than ten times faster compared to its existing fastest broadband service of 100Mbps. Furthermore, this service is 240 times faster than the United Kingdom average as well.

This would mean that the service is capable of allowing its customers download a high-definition film or video game in just 55 seconds. The current scenary shows the average UK broadband speed of 6.2Mbps allowing the same in about 3 hours and 40 minutes.

It is understood that Virgin Media would be beginning this month, its ultra fast broadband connection trials at four firms near London’s Old Street. The location has been dubbed as Silicon Roundabout, although the service will be eventually delivered to offices as well as households.

Meanwhile, the internet service provider has opined that the predominant advantage of the proposed 1.5Gbps broadband service of its would not be speed, but the comfort of a greater number of consumers that will be able to access the network simultaneously with no fears of interruption.

The refreshing part of this feat achieved by the leading cable broadband provider of the country is that more or less one out of 26 homes across the country is currently able to access internet at ultrafast broadband speeds.

If reports can be taken into account, the 100Mbps broadband service of Virgin Media allows the consumer to download a high-quality movie in less than a couple of minutes’ time. This service also allows several consumers to enjoy high quality video simultaneously.

Another striking aspect of the 100Mbps broadband service of Virgin Media is its offering upload speeds of up to 10Mbps, which enables the users to share content of high bandwidth such as live high definition video, with ease.

This high end broadband service of theirs was announced by Virtgin Media back in 2010 February before launching it officially in December. Amusingly, a 200Mbps broadband service was also demonstrated by Virgin Media.

The fibre optic network of Virgin Media is based on the Euro DOCSIS 3 standard that according to the claims of the company, will be hardly affected by speed degradation related to distance. This property of the premium service allows it to come up with a consistent broadband internet experience irrespective of where the user lives.

A record annual revenue of GBP 3.876 billion has been the impetus behind Virgin Media’s climbing positions. Alongside the increase in the annual revenue by 5.8 per cent, the quarterly revenues also exceeded GBP 1 billion for the first time in the fourth quarter.

According to the chief executive officer of Virgin Media, Neil Berkett, the crucial stride ahead in their business and mobile operations had contributed to the substantial result. He claimed that powered by TiVo, their new television service would offer a genuine step change in the home entertainment sector as the customers were to benefit from Virgin Media network’s unique power.

Berkett optimistically predicted that combined with their ultrafast 100Mbits broadband rollout across their growing cable network, their TV network would further accelerate their lead in the next generation services besides meeting their ever-growing demand for better connectivity.

Virgin Media has literally pipped TalkTalk off to become the second largest broadband provider in the United Kingdom. All thanks to the provider’s cable broadband customer base of four million. The increase in their cable broadband customer base by 173,300 in the year 2010 with a 40 per cent increase in the number of broadband customers enjoying speeds of 20Mbits or more and a tripled 50Mbits broadband customer base – to over 118,00 – clearly stand to substantiate the claims.

To be precise, the fresh agreement hammered out between Virgin Media and Telindus is a multi-year contract that includes network service and support for the former.

Belgium based network technology firm Belgacom’s UK arm Telindus claimed that the agreement signed between them and Virgin Media would help the latter in delivering its market leading propositions to both residential and business customers in the country.

Alongside, the company is targeting the continued provision of unsurpassed support levels to Virgin Media, which would offer an enhancement to the operational efficiency of the cable broadband provider.

According to the description given by customer and networks office head at Telindus, Paul Buttery, Telindus was the ideal partner for helping Virgin Media continue to expand its business over the years ahead. He added that it was purely imperative to their customers as it was for them that their network was functioning at peak performance.

The financial results of Virgin Media for the three months ending 30 September 2010 revealed that the firm added 35,100 broadband customers additionally ove rhte period. At the quarter’s end the overall broadband subscriber base of the company stood at 4.24 million.

The chief of Ofcom, Ed Richards said while speaking at the FT World Telcommunications Conference that access to the underground ducts and telegraph poles of BT could greatly benefit the likes of Virgin Media for expanding their networks.

Richards noted that the leading cable and fibre optic broadband provider operating in the country, Virgin Media currently covered around 50 per cent of the country’s population; a figure that could be improved if the infrastructure of BT was opened for it to use.

Richards also expressed confidence in the move saying that it would prove particularly advantageous for the providers as it would stand to encourage ISPs to connect more rural and remote areas to broadband.

According to the Ofcom chief, access to the ducts and poles of BT would be especially significant in facilitating investment in the country’s final third, although they would be quite happy for it being used more widely.

Recently published figures by the Office of National Statistics had revealed two thirds of households containing at least a person in the age group of between 16 and 79 to be having some sort of broadband connection in the year 2009.