Virgin Media has announced that it will begin trials of to deliver 50Mb broadband connections over existing electricity poles.
By piggybacking its high-speed fibre optic network through existing electricity pylons, Virgin Media will be able to extend its ultra-fast broadband service beyond those homes with direct cable connections, even those in remote rural areas.
The Welsh village of Crumlin, Caerphilly, has been identified as the first site for trial and if successful, other villages will follow. The village previously relied on BT’s copper infrastructure but will now be offered Virgin Media’s broadband and TV service, including around 5,000 hours of catch-up TV and on-demand content. The trial commences in August and is scheduled to run into 2011.
Despite Virgin Media’s predictions however, a recent report from telecoms regulator Ofcom suggests that actual connection speeds are likely to be considerably less than 50Mb. Though it recognised Virgin Media as the UK’s fastest broadband provider, it still noted that average speeds were 8.7Mb on its 10Mb package and 15.7Mb on its ‘up to’ 20Mb offering.