Living the dream
The fibre broadband arms race escalated further today, with the announcement from Virgin Media the four locations have now gone live with its 100Mbps fibre broadband, as anticipated back in October.
This development comes amid a climate of intense competition with BT; not only for the broadband speed crown, but to champion the UK's aspirations to develop a world-class broadband infrastructure.
It's generally accepted that the most remote parts of the country won't get faster broadband without some degree of state intervention, as there is insufficient return on investment for the likes of BT and Virgin from the cost of extending their fibre networks to the sticks. It's generally assumed BT will be the recipient of this public largesse, but Virgin doesn't look ready to give up that fight yet.
It may be that consistently offering faster broadband than BT will not only win consumers and businesses away from the former state monopoly, but will also make it difficult for the government to favour BT as much as it's clearly inclined to do.
Here's the full Virgin 100Mbps roll-out schedule.
|
Location |
Short name |
It is estimated that 100Mb will be available by the end of ... |
|
Acton |
acto |
Being planned |
|
Addlestone |
addl |
Jun-11 |
|
Aldershot |
alde |
Sep-11 |
|
Amersham |
amer |
Sep-11 |
|
Andover |
ando |
Sep-11 |
|
Ashford |
asfd |
Jun-11 |
|
Ashton |
asht |
Jun-11 |
|
Aylesbury |
ayle |
Sep-11 |
|
Baguley |
bagu |
Being planned |
|
Barnsley |
barn |
Jun-11 |
|
Barrhead |
bahd |
Mar-11 |
|
Barry |
bary |
Available now |
|
Basford |
basf |
Jun-11 |
|
Basildon |
basl |
Being planned |
|
Bath |
bath |
Being planned |
|
Bedford (North Beds) |
bedf |
Mar-11 |
|
Belfast |
belf |
Being planned |
|
Belfast City |
belc |
Jun-11 |
|
Belfast East |
bele |
Sep-11 |
|
Benwell |
benw |
Jun-11 |
|
Bexleyheath |
bexl |
Being planned |
|
Biggleswade |
bigg |
Sep-11 |
|
Birkenhead |
birk |
Sep-11 |
|
Bishopbriggs |
bbrg |
Jun-11 |
|
Bishops Stortford |
bsfd |
Being planned |
|
Blackburn |
blbn |
Jun-11 |
|
Blackpool |
blac |
Sep-11 |
|
Bolton |
bolt |
Being planned |
|
Bournemouth (Charminster) |
bour |
Being planned |
|
Bradford |
brad |
Being planned |
|
Brighton |
brig |
Being planned |
|
Bristol (Aztec West) |
aztw |
Being planned |
|
Bromborough |
brmb |
Sep-11 |
|
Bromley |
bmly |
Being planned |
|
Bromsgrove |
brom |
Jun-11 |
|
Broomhill |
broo |
Sep-11 |
|
Burnley |
burn |
Sep-11 |
|
Camberley |
cbly |
Mar-11 |
|
Cambridge |
cmbg |
Being planned |
|
Camden |
camd |
Being planned |
|
Canniesburn |
cani |
Mar-11 |
|
Cardiff |
cdif |
Mar-11 |
|
CastleCary |
cast |
Being planned |
|
Chelmsford |
chms |
Sep-11 |
|
Chelmsley Wood |
chwo |
Jun-11 |
|
Cheshunt |
ches |
Mar-11 |
|
Chesterfield |
chfd |
Jun-11 |
|
Clifton |
clif |
Jun-11 |
|
Clydebank |
clyd |
Mar-11 |
|
Colchester |
colc |
Available now |
|
copdock (Ipswich) |
ipsw |
Being planned |
|
Cosham |
cosh |
Being planned |
|
Coventry |
cove |
Being planned |
|
Cowcaddens |
cowc |
Sep-11 |
|
Crawley |
craw |
Being planned |
|
Croydon |
croy |
Being planned |
|
Cwmbran |
cwbn |
Mar-11 |
|
Cwmbwrla |
cwma |
Sep-11 |
|
Dalston |
dals |
Jun-11 |
|
Darlington |
darl |
Sep-11 |
|
Derby |
derb |
Jun-11 |
|
Doncaster |
donc |
Mar-11 |
|
Dover |
dove |
Sep-11 |
|
Dudley |
dudl |
Mar-11 |
|
Dumbarton |
dumb |
Being planned |
|
Dundee |
dund |
Being planned |
|
Dunstable |
duns |
Mar-11 |
|
Ely |
ely0 |
Mar-11 |
|
Enfield |
enfi |
Mar-11 |
|
Epsom |
epso |
Mar-11 |
|
Erskine |
ersk |
Jun-11 |
|
Fareham |
fare |
Sep-11 |
|
Farnborough |
farn |
Available now |
|
Finchley (Barnet) |
finc |
Being planned |
|
Flitwick |
flit |
Sep-11 |
|
Folkestone |
folk |
Sep-11 |
|
Gateshead |
gate |
Being planned |
|
Gillingham |
gill |
Being planned |
|
Glengormley |
glen |
Jun-11 |
|
Glenrothes |
grth |
Being planned |
|
Gorseinon |
gors |
Mar-11 |
|
Grantham |
gran |
Mar-11 |
|
Great Yarmouth |
gtya |
Sep-11 |
|
Greenock |
grnk |
Mar-11 |
|
Grimsby |
grim |
Sep-11 |
|
Guildford |
glfd |
Jun-11 |
|
Halifax |
hali |
Sep-11 |
|
Harbourne |
harb |
Being planned |
|
Haringey |
hari |
Sep-11 |
|
Harrogate |
harg |
Sep-11 |
|
Hartlepool |
hart |
Being planned |
|
Hatfield |
hatf |
Mar-11 |
|
Havant |
hava |
Jun-11 |
|
Hawkfield |
hawk |
Being planned |
|
Hayes |
haye |
Being planned |
|
Heckmondwike |
heck |
Available now |
|
Hemel Hempstead |
heme |
Sep-11 |
|
Hersham |
hers |
Jun-11 |
|
Hinckley |
hink |
Mar-11 |
|
Hitchin |
hitc |
Jun-11 |
|
Horndean |
horn |
Jun-11 |
|
Huddersfield |
hudd |
Being planned |
|
Jarrow |
jarr |
Being planned |
|
Johnstone |
john |
Sep-11 |
|
Kempston |
kemp |
Jun-11 |
|
Kings Norton |
king |
Being planned |
|
Kirkintilloch |
kirk |
Jun-11 |
|
Knowsley |
know |
Sep-11 |
|
Lancing |
lanc |
Jun-11 |
|
Leatherhead |
leat |
Mar-11 |
|
Leeds (Leeds South) |
lee2 |
Being planned |
|
Leicester |
leic |
Sep-11 |
|
Lewisham |
lewi |
Being planned |
|
Lichfield |
lich |
Sep-11 |
|
Lincoln |
linc |
Being planned |
|
Linlithgow |
linl |
Being planned |
|
Lisburn |
lisb |
Sep-11 |
|
Liverpool |
live |
Being planned |
|
Livingston |
livi |
Jun-11 |
|
Locksheath |
lock |
Sep-11 |
|
Londonderry |
ldry |
Jun-11 |
|
Luton |
lutn |
Being planned |
|
Macclesfield |
macc |
Sep-11 |
|
Maidstone |
maid |
Being planned |
|
Mansfield |
mfld |
Being planned |
|
Mapperley |
mapp |
Sep-11 |
|
Marske |
mars |
Sep-11 |
|
Marylebone (Westminster) |
mary |
Sep-11 |
|
Melton |
melt |
Jun-11 |
|
Middlesbrough |
midd |
Being planned |
|
Mortlake |
mort |
Being planned |
|
Nailsea |
nail |
Mar-11 |
|
Neath |
neat |
Jun-11 |
|
New Malden |
nmal |
Being planned |
|
Newark |
nwrk |
Sep-11 |
|
Newcastle (New York) |
newc |
Being planned |
|
Newport (Newport West) |
newp |
Sep-11 |
|
Newport (Newport East) |
new2 |
Jun-11 |
|
Newton Abbott |
newt |
Being planned |
|
Northampton east |
nrte |
Sep-11 |
|
Northfields |
nfds |
Being planned |
|
Norwich |
nrwh |
Being planned |
|
Nottingham |
nott |
Jun-11 |
|
Oldham |
oldh |
Being planned |
|
Orpington |
orpi |
Sep-11 |
|
Oxford |
oxfd |
Sep-11 |
|
Papworth |
papw |
Jun-11 |
|
Penarth |
pnth |
Jun-11 |
|
Pentwyn |
pnwn |
Mar-11 |
|
Perry Bar (Witton) |
perr |
Sep-11 |
|
Perth |
pert |
Being planned |
|
Peterborough |
pete |
Being planned |
|
Poole |
pool |
Being planned |
|
Port Talbot |
ptal |
Jun-11 |
|
Portsmouth |
pmth |
Sep-11 |
|
Preston |
pres |
Sep-11 |
|
Rawtenstall |
rawt |
Sep-11 |
|
Reading |
rdng |
Being planned |
|
Reigate |
reig |
Sep-11 |
|
Renfrew |
renf |
Mar-11 |
|
Rochdale |
roch |
Jun-11 |
|
Rotherham |
roth |
Mar-11 |
|
Runcorn |
runc |
Jun-11 |
|
Rutherglen |
ruth |
Jun-11 |
|
Salford |
salf |
Being planned |
|
Salisbury |
sals |
Sep-11 |
|
Sandwell |
sand |
Sep-11 |
|
Scunthorpe |
scun |
Sep-11 |
|
Seacroft (Leeds Seacroft) |
seac |
Being planned |
|
Seven Kings |
seve |
Being planned |
|
Sheffield |
shef |
Being planned |
|
Shepshed |
shep |
Being planned |
|
Shettleston |
shet |
Jun-11 |
|
Sketty |
sket |
Mar-11 |
|
Slough |
slou |
Being planned |
|
SmallHeath |
smal |
Being planned |
|
Solihull |
Soli |
Jun-11 |
|
South Gyle (Edinburgh) |
sgyl |
Being planned |
|
South Lambeth |
slam |
Being planned |
|
Southampton |
sotn |
Jun-11 |
|
Southend |
sout |
Sep-11 |
|
Southport |
sprt |
Mar-11 |
|
St Mellons |
stme |
Mar-11 |
|
Stafford |
staf |
Sep-11 |
|
Staple Hill (Chapel/ Morley Rd) |
chap |
Being planned |
|
Stapleford |
stap |
Jun-11 |
|
Staverton |
stav |
Being planned |
|
Stevenage |
stev |
Mar-11 |
|
Stockport |
stkp |
Mar-11 |
|
Stockton |
stkn |
Being planned |
|
Stoke |
stok |
Being planned |
|
Stretford |
stre |
Sep-11 |
|
Sunderland (Wearside) |
sund |
Sep-11 |
|
Sutton Coldfield |
sutt |
Sep-11 |
|
Swansea |
swan |
Jun-11 |
|
Swindon |
swin |
Sep-11 |
|
Telford |
telf |
Mar-11 |
|
Thornliebank (Eastwood) |
thor |
Sep-11 |
|
Tilbury |
tilb |
Sep-11 |
|
Tonbridge |
tonb |
Sep-11 |
|
Tower Hamlets |
popl |
Sep-11 |
|
Treforrest |
tref |
Mar-11 |
|
Trowbridge |
trow |
Mar-11 |
|
Uddingston |
uddi |
Being planned |
|
Wakefield |
wake |
Sep-11 |
|
Walsall |
wals |
Being planned |
|
Waltham Forest (Waltham Park) |
walt |
Being planned |
|
Wardley |
ward |
Mar-11 |
|
Ware |
ware |
Jun-11 |
|
Warrington |
warr |
Being planned |
|
Warwick |
warw |
Sep-11 |
|
Watford |
watf |
Being planned |
|
Whitchurch |
whit |
Jun-11 |
|
Wigan |
wiga |
Being planned |
|
Wilmslow |
wilm |
Sep-11 |
|
Wisbech |
wisb |
Sep-11 |
|
Withington |
with |
Jun-11 |
|
Woking |
woki |
Sep-11 |
|
Wolverhampton |
wolv |
Being planned |
|
Yeadon (Leeds North) |
yead |
Sep-11 |
|
York |
york |
Jun-11 |
