Aylesbury connected to 'ultrafast' gigabit broadband today

A new gigabit broadband service has been connected to thousands of homes in Aylesbury today (August 10).

The new service claims to be 24 times faster than the local average it is also accessible in certain parts of Wendover and Broughton.

This is based on figures recorded for Bucks in Ofcom's 'connected nations report' released last year.

Virgin Media O2 is the provider of this new internet network and claims that this new broadband service allows people to download films, computer games and television shows in seconds.

The company plans to upgrade 15 million homes with this new internet speed before the end of 2021.

The service now available to many residents in Aylesbury is called the Gig1, it has average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, O2 claims it is the fastest available from any of the major broadband providers in the UK.

The provider is promising to turn on more homes in Bucks over the 'coming months'.

The service is currently available in more than eight million homes in the UK, the provider says.

Gareth Williams, deputy Leader at Bucks Council said: “Virgin Media O2 is making a strategic investment into Buckinghamshire choosing it as a key location to roll out its Gig1 next generation gigabit technology.

"These superfast speeds of 1gig per second will transform the digital lives of 22,000 people in Buckinghamshire. This technology changes the digital landscape – making it possible to download a feature film in literally seconds. It is part of our local digital ambition for Buckinghamshire to extend the reach of high-speed next generation connectivity into homes and businesses.”

Virgin Media O2 claims it will invest at least £10 billion over the next five years in the UK to increase its fibre expansion.

Richard Harrington, chief executive of Bucks Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Virgin Media O2 helped establish High Wycombe as one of the nation’s first gigabit towns in 2019, and following that success we are thrilled that Virgin Media O2 continue to invest to upgrade their infrastructure to enable a further 27,000 properties across Aylesbury, Broughton, Wendover and Walton to benefit from gigabit-capable broadband.

“Today’s announcement ensures that our businesses, and in particular our SME business base, are able to use this digital framework to push their productivity in an increasingly digital age, enabling them to adopt new advanced technologies and to engage and strengthen partnerships. With the struggle many businesses have had over the past 18 months, this will be welcome news to those that require faster speeds.”

Virgin Media O2's rollout is linked to government plans to have gigabit speeds passing at least 85% of UK premises by 2025. Virgin Media O2 claims the company will have contributed almost two thirds of the Government’s minimum broadband ambition four years ahead of the target, once upgrades are completed.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman, commented: "We've kicked off the biggest broadband build in British history thanks to £5 billion of government funding alongside significant investment from telecoms firms.

"I welcome Virgin Media O2's ambitious plans to speed up the delivery of lightning-fast gigabit connectivity to communities across the UK and give people what they need to keep pace with the digital revolution."