Virgin Media is set to double the speed of the broadband service received by over 4m of its subscribers.
In a programme starting next month, and rolling out over the next 18 months, customers with the current 10Mb, 20Mb, 30Mb and 50Mb services will see their speeds 'at least doubled'.
Current 100Mb customers will see an increase to 120Mb.
And there's scope for even greater speeds: the new modems to be supplied as part of the upgrade programme are capable of up to 400Mb.
120Mb broadband will allow an album to be downloaded in under five seconds, and an HD movie in five minutes, and the new service speeds will also benefit homes consuming a lot of streaming content, and those with several devices connected to the internet at the same time.
Virgin Media boss Neil Berkett says that 'The burgeoning market for better connectivity has given us an opportunity to transform the digital experience of millions of our customers and to bring about a massive step change in the number of UK consumers who have access to exciting, next generation services.
'As people are increasingly doing more online, and getting connected to the internet with lots of different devices, having a fast, reliable broadband service should not be a luxury. We want to make sure that consumers have access to the best value broadband service and that means a superfast connection.'
Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the announcement, saying that'it will provide a great boost for the economy and change the way many households, consumers and businesses use the internet.
'Rolling out superfast broadband across the country is a critical part of our plan to upgrade the UK’s infrastructure and build a new and smarter economy.'
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