Virgin Media O2 has just launched Gig2, a 2Gbps broadband service. This is now the quickest broadband service in the country, and it provides average download speeds that are more than 28 times faster than the UK average.
On top of this, for an extra £6 per month, customers can upgrade their connection so that it provides symmetrical speeds (meaning upload speeds match download speeds).
At present, Gig2 is currently limited to customers on the nexfibre network. This means that Gig2 is only available to around one million premises across the UK.
What is Gig2?
Gig2 is the fastest broadband package on the market. It comfortably eclipses EE's Busiest Home Bundle, which offers average download speeds of 1.6Gbps and is twice as fast as Virgin Media's Gig1 offering, which offers average download speeds of 1,130Mbps.
Customers who take out a Gig2 package will receive average upload speeds of 200Mbps as standard. However, if they pay an extra £6 per month, then they'll also receive symmetrical upload speeds of 2Gbps.
If you sign up for Gig2, you'll be provided with Virgin Media's latest Hub 5x router. This supports the new XGS-PON technology, which is used by nexfibre to bring speeds of up to 10Gbps to homes. On top of this, you'll also get Virgin Media's whole home WiFi guarantee, WiFi Max - worth £8 per month, included for free. This promises you'll receive wireless speeds of at least 30Mbps in every room of your home. To achieve this, you'll receive up to three mesh WiFi Pods.
Gig2 is fast, but it's also rather pricey. It will cost £84 per month (£90 if you pay for symmetrical upload speeds) and its availability is currently limited to customers on parts of Virgin Media's new full-fibre network, operated by wholesale provider nexfibre.
How widely available is Gig2?
Gig2 and symmetrical upload speeds are available to just 1 million of the over 16 million premises that are covered by Virgin Media's broadband services.
This is because multi-gig speeds and symmetrical upload speeds require the latest XGS-PON technology, which is currently only available in new locations where full fibre has been used to connect properties.
Some of the areas covered by nexfibre, a new wholesale network owned by the parent companies of Virgin Media and O2, include Belfast, Cardiff, London, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow.
Although only around a million premises can currently connect to the network, it's hoped that a total of five million premises will be connected by the end of 2026. This same rollout also aims to increase the availability of Virgin Media broadband to 23 million premises by the end of 2026.
On top of this, the company's existing network will also be upgraded to full fibre by the end of 2028.
Do I need symmetrical upload speeds?
When it comes to selecting a broadband package, most customers focus on the download speeds they can expect to receive. However, in some circumstances, upload speeds can be just as important.
For example, if you're a professional photographer and you regularly upload files to the cloud or you love video games and you regularly stream your gameplay, you'll need good upload speeds. For more information on why, check out our guide that explains everything you need to know about symmetrical broadband speeds.
This is the first time that Virgin Media has offered customers the option to boost their uploads to symmetrical speeds. As mentioned above, this upgrade costs £6 per month.
This upgrade option is now available across all package tiers, from 50Mbps up to the new 2Gbps plan.
How does Gig2 compare to other top-tier packages?
Gig2 is currently the fastest widely available broadband package on the market today. However, other providers are catching up.
For example, CityFibre has recently launched a symmetric 2.5Gbps consumer tier, but it is currently only available from some of their smallest ISPs.
Similarly, Vodafone is reportedly set to launch a 2Gbps package on that network shortly. After this, TalkTalk is expected to follow suit. For context, it's important to point out that CityFibre’s network covers around 3.5 million UK premises (3.2m RFS). This is currently three times larger than nexfibre.
By comparison, Openreach is still developing its own FTTP network, which can theoretically muster speeds of 1.8Gbps. EE is the only provider offering a package on this network, and this provides average download speeds of 1.6Gbps. That said, this package only comes with upload speeds of 120Mbps. It can, however, reach 13 million properties.
On the flip side, it's also important to state that many smaller alternative networks can offer speeds that easily eclipse those offered by the likes of Virgin Media and EE... provided they cover your area.
For example, YouFibre (Netomnia) has an affordable 7-8Gbps tier, while B4RN can do 8-10Gbps and Community Fibre has 3Gbps. Not to mention a few other providers with 2Gbps options, like Zzoomm.
Keen to see the fastest speeds that are available at your property? Pop your postcode into our widget below.
