Virgin Media launches 152Mb broadband, 50Mb entry-level

kingrulzuk

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/software/virgin-media-launches-152mb-broadband-50mb-entry-level-50013446/


Do we really need it??

kwikbreaks

Almost certainly not but headline speed is VM's only selling point so they will continue to raise those headline speeds. Sadly in many areas their network struggles to deliver an acceptable service.

ifstar

We are moving towards streaming and downloading, xbox one and PS4 games can be anywhere between 15-48gb so it definitely helps.

VisionMan

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Almost certainly not but headline speed is VM's only selling point so they will continue to raise those headline speeds. Sadly in many areas their network struggles to deliver an acceptable service.

The bizarre thing about VM is that they offer all these super fast speeds but then they don't allow their users use them to their full capacity.

PlymouthMaid

Not likely to get it so hardly matters. Ours has never come close to the advertised speed.

kingrulzuk

But they do charge the full amount £££££

kwikbreaks

VisionMan wrote: »

The bizarre thing about VM is that they offer all these super fast speeds but then they don't allow their users use them to their full capacity.

It's not bizarre at all. DOCSIS has low capacity local pipes (typically 400Mbps down shared between several hundred houses at the moment). That means you can get high speeds but not constant high speeds for everybody - there simply isn't the capacity to allow that. If everybody is just browsing then they'll all get the headline speed but if you have a couple or more users doing sizeable downloads at the same time there won't be enough local capacity left for the rest of the people on that segment. Of course the only reason anybody needs high speeds is for big downloads.

What really screws things up is when somebody is constantly seeding torrents and evading the shaping - upstream capacity is even more limited than downstream - typically only a 36Mbps pipe. That's why cable offers such poor upstream speeds and draconian traffic management on them.

[Deleted User]

I'm on a 100Mb connection at the moment and always get that speed with no issues at all.

More and more services are moving over to streaming or downloading content so the extra speed helps when it comes to this.

RichardD1970

In have the 30Mb (soon to got to 50) and every test I have done is always there or around, in fact it is usually over. The one I just ran is 33.17Mbps.

kwikbreaks

I'm glad that the two previous posters are getting what they pay for. I was on 60Mbps and in my own area it was dire. You'll find completely contrasting experiences with cable because one street can be fine and the next terrible. VM do fix these issues but take their own sweet time doing so. I gave up and moved to FTTC instead - no problems with that for me.

kingrulzuk

I was getting 9Mb to 14Mb and i was paying for 30Mb. My phone three 3G H+ was faster then the VM. Now no VM just have a good phone and the 3 network