UK VoIP services to profit from 100Mbps Virgin Media broadband

VoIP services in the UK could be set to improve following Virgin Media's roll-out of broadband.

The firm has announced that it will begin deploying its fibre-optic broadband network in December, with residents in London, the Home Counties and West Yorkshire the first to access internet speeds of 100Mbps.

Around 12.7 million households in the UK are expected to be connected to the network by mid-2012, which will also offer upload speeds of 10Mbps.

The move could result in an increase in VoIP traffic, with more internet users able to make high-quality VoIP calls.

Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media, claimed the new service is "a significant milestone" in the evolution of broadband technology in Britain.

He said: "We are now in a world where people want the best connectivity with whatever screen they are using and those service providers that aren't able to deliver this will simply be left behind.

"The world of possibilities that broadband will enable is set to explode and we're excited about the innovations we can bring to consumers in the next decade."