Virgin Media sees growth in higher-tier fibre broadband

Virgin Media has reported further growth in uptake of its higher-tier fibre optic broadband packages.

In its results for the three months to June 30th 2011, the cable company revealed half of new broadband subscribers have signed up to speeds of 30Mbps or above.

A year ago, less than a fifth of new customers had chosen a package with download capabilities of 20Mbps or higher.

More than 170,000 homes are receiving up to 50Mbps or up to 100Mbps speeds from Virgin Media - more than twice as many as at the same time last year.

Just over four million households were subscribed to Virgin Media cable broadband in the second quarter, up from 3.9 million in the corresponding period of 2010.

Chief executive Neil Berkett said the growing popularity of next-generation digital technology is "rapidly transforming the profile of our subscriber base".

Last week, Virgin Media announced the launch of its 100Mbps fibre broadband service in Cambridge - a development described as a "significant milestone" by Jon James, the company's head of broadband.