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Our brief review of Virgin Media broadband
The good:
Fastest widely-available broadband provider
Good selection of TV bundles
Broadband only options available
Available on rolling monthly contracts
Student broadband packages available
High-quality router
Truly unlimited broadband
The bad:
Not as widely available as some Openreach providers
Cheaper deals can be found elsewhere
Sometimes comes with high set-up fees
Expensive cancellation fees
Upload speeds lag behind download speeds
Customer service could be improved
Virgin Media offers the fastest widely available fibre-optic broadband package in the UK. They offer various bundles, including TV and phone deals, meaning that there are lots of options to choose from to fit your needs and budget. But how good is it? In this review we will look at what makes it stand out from competitors like Sky or BT, and work out if choosing Virgin is the right choice for you.
How we review providers
When reviewing a broadband provider, it isn’t just as simple as looking at the price and the speed they offer. There is much more to it than that!
There are a few things we look into when determining whether we recommend a provider or not. These include things like speed, price, router performance, customer service...
We go through each of these in more detail in the review, look at how well the provider performs for each, and then compare how the provider's advertisements compare with real world experiences as well as other providers.
All our reviews are genuine, unbiased, and written by broadband experts.
Virgin Media speed review: How fast is it?
Virgin regularly top the charts in terms of widely available download speeds. Using bespoke DOCSIS® 3 technology, their cables can connect you to the things you love at speeds of up to 500Mpbs+; faster than either BT or Sky in almost every region of the UK.
Virgin offers six levels of broadband speed to its customers. These are:
| Deal | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|
| M50 | 54Mbps | 5Mbps |
| M100 | 108Mbps | 20Mbps |
| M200 | 213Mbps | 20Mbps |
| M350 | 362Mbps | 36Mbps |
| M500 | 516Mbps | 36Mbps |
| Gig1 | 1,130Mbps | 52Mbps |
Most places that can receive Virgin Media will be able to sign up for at least their M50, M100, and M200 speeds.
Their M350 and M500 packages are not available everywhere yet but are being rolled out to more households every month. The same goes for the Gig1 fibre package, although if you can get your hands on it and it's within your budget, we'd recommend going for it - after all, it's currently the fastest domestic internet connection you can get in the UK!
Each of these internet packages is available with or without a phoneline, and comes with unlimited downloads as standard.
If you are looking for more than just broadband only or broadband and phone, Virgin have you covered; they also offer some of the best bundles on the market.
Virgin Media price review: How much does it cost?
Virgin’s different broadband packages come at a range of prices, depending on speed. But to make things more complicated, you can choose various combinations of landline, TV and mobile packages to add with your broadband, which will all change the cost. And some broadband packages are only available in certain bundles, such as with a phone line.
To make things simple, however, let's take a look at how Virgin Media's broadband only prices stack up against those of its competitors:
| Deals | Virgin Media price | BT equivalent package price | Sky equivalent package price | TalkTalk equivalent package price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M50 Fibre Broadband Only (54Mbps) | £24.95 | £29.99 | £28 | £29 |
| M100 Fibre Broadband Only (108Mbps) | £25 | £35.99 | £32 | £29.95 |
| M200 Fibre Broadband Only (213Mbps) | £26 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| M350 Fibre Broadband Only (362Mbps) | £29.95 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| M500 Fibre Broadband Only (516Mbps) | £39 | £45.99 | £42 | £39 |
| Gig1 Fibre Broadband Only (1,130Mbps) | £60 | £55.99 | £52 | £49 |
*Prices correct as of September 2022.
It is worth noting that you can customise your package to your taste, so take a visit to their website to work out how much your deal will cost.
There is also a £35 installation fee for all of the deals, unless you have previously been a Virgin Media customer. If you have, select the QuickStart option at checkout, and you will be sent a kit to do a free and easy installation yourself.
Contracts usually have a minimum period of 18 months. If you wish to cancel during this period, you are likely to be subjected to an Early Disconnection Fee. If you want more flexibility, there are also rolling 30 day contracts available.
What makes Virgin Media stand out?
Apart from its lightning quick speeds, there are a number of other things which might make you choose Virgin Media.
Their bundles that include combinations of landline calls, TV channels and mobile packages are endlessly customisable. This means that you can create the package that will suit your specific needs, while bundling these different costs into one convenient deal.
Virgin TV gives you access to a huge number of television channels, with its basic deal offering access to over 110 channels. You can add movies, sports and more on top of this to end up with hundreds of options to choose from when you want to sit back and watch television.
Being a Virgin Media customer also gives you access to the Virgin public WiFi network. There are thousands of hotspots around the country where you can use the internet for free, and even includes over 200 London Underground stations!
Virgin Media review: Installation and equipment
As mentioned before, there is a £35 installation fee if you are a new Virgin Media customer. An engineer will have to visit your home and install a Virgin Media wall socket. How long this takes depends on the availability of the engineer, but once it is installed you are good to go straight away!
If you have one of these already, you can have the option of having a QuickStart package sent to your door, and you can install it yourself. This process should take just four days from when you order it
Virgin Media’s broadband packages come with the new Hub 3. This comes with Intelligent WiFi technology, which you can connect to the Virgin Media Connect App on your smartphone. Here you can check the connection around your house, and if there is a spot where you are not receiving WiFi connection, you can order a WiFi booster for just £3 a month, or for free if you are on a full TV package. It also uses channel optimisation to make sure that the devices which need more internet get faster download speeds.