Virgin Media's superfast UK broadband expansion kicks off in Manchester
Despite recent growth, Virgin Media has work to do if it's to make inroads into BT's broadband dominance. The company knows this, so in February it launched "Project Lightning," a £3 billion investment to bring cable broadband to 4 million additional UK homes over the next five years. Today, Virgin Media announced that the expansion has begun, with 150,000 homes and businesses in Manchester set to become the lucky recipients of Virgin Media's 152Mbps internet and other associated services.
Project Lightning is a big deal for Virgin Media. It'll boost the company's infrastructure by about a third, allowing up to 17 million Brits to connect to its services by 2020. Its expansion doesn't only affect new customers, existing subscribers may also enjoy the fruits of Virgin Media's DOCSIS 3.1 trials, which can theoretically reach speeds of 10Gb. Work will begin on the first 20,000 Manchester addresses this week but the company says it will prioritise its next locations based on demand. If you're eager to get connected, the provider has set up a "Cable My Street" website allowing you to register your interest and possibly see your area moved further up the list.
