Fibre optic broadband available at 531 postcodes

Next-generation fibre optic broadband cabling provided by Virgin Media is now available at 531 UK postcodes, new figures reveal.

Research from Cable.co.uk shows that over 5,000 new customers signed up for the faster service during the second quarter of this year and the total number of subscribers is approaching four million throughout the country.

Of the 531 postcodes that could use the fibre technology to access more efficient VoIP solutions and download web content more quickly, 39 have full access, while nearly 260 have connectivity of at least 80 per cent.

Over 90 per cent of web users in Sussex making inquiries could sign up for the service if they wanted to, whereas around three-quarters of Hampshire residents could have it installed.

Virgin has been responding to pressure to invest in next-generation network speeds far beyond the two megabits-per-second baseline that the government has committed to providing by 2012.

The company faces the stiffest competition from BT, which is investing £1.5 billion in high-speed networks throughout the UK.