Virgin Media Plan To Launch Public Wi-Fi Network

Virgin Media are planning to roll out a huge wireless Wi-Fi network to match that of BT’s Openzone and The Cloud by offering tens of thousands of fast Wi-Fi access points across the Country.

With around 50% of the population covered by Virgin Media’s cable network, the company aims to follow in the foot steps of US cable firm Cablevision, who successfully created thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots on the back of their New York network.

“We have been inspired by what Cablevision has been able to do in New York and are actively exploring the possibility of creating a similar network here. It takes the sheer power of the cable broadband network and puts it where people need it.

Previous attempts were to fulfil a social objective. This is to solve a real problem. Steve Jobs [chief executive of Apple] has created phenomenal demand, and we’ve got the best fibre [optic] network in the country that could help meet it. This isn’t about building broad coverage, it’s about giving you fast, predictable, access where you need it.”

Kevin Baughan, (Director of advanced technology) Virgin Media

Virgin Media aim to deploy routers alongside their existing street cabinets in order to create the wireless networks, which will likely be available free to Virgin Media customers and on a ‘pay as you go’ basis to the public.

Wi-Fi speeds are expected to be around 5Mbps which makes the network slightly slower than BT Openzone’s 8Mbps.

Wireless coverage is seemingly always on the rise in the UK, with BT recently announcing that their Wi-Fi network has grown to over 2 million Wi-Fi hotspots.