Tuesday, September 1st 2020: Ookla®, the worldwide independent leader in consumer-initiated testing and analysis, has named Virgin Media as Ireland’s fastest broadband provider, for the fourth year in a row, and Ireland’s fastest In-Home Wi-Fi network. The results of tests taken with Speedtest® show that Virgin Media is considerably faster when compared to its nearest competitor for broadband and In-Home Wi-Fi.

 

Comparing millions of tests carried out by consumers themselves, Ookla analysed the results of tests taken by customers of all the major internet service providers in Ireland during the award determination period (Q1-Q2 2020).

 

Virgin Media provided the fastest speeds delivering 90th percentile download speeds of 255.18 Mbps compared to Vodafone (175.95 Mbps), eir (112.28 Mbps) or Sky (95.33 Mbps).

 

Virgin Media’s In-Home Wi-Fi also excelled, providing Virgin’s customers with 90th percentile download speeds of 251.23 Mbps, compared to Vodafone (156.42 Mbps), eir (111.42 Mbps) and Sky (99.42 Mbps).

 

Paul Higgins, Vice President of Commercial, said: “Today’s announcement is another fantastic endorsement for the Virgin Media cable broadband network. The fact we own our entire network, which uses DOCSIS 3 cable technology, means we can deliver speeds that are head and shoulders above our rivals. To be independently verified by Ookla, a globally recognised organisation, for the fourth year running underlines the investment we have consistently made to ensure our customers can enjoy Irelands fastest broadband network.”

 

Our award-winning speeds, paired with our innovative Hub with Smart Wi-Fi, means customers can expect to achieve the best In Home Wi-Fi and enjoy more connected entertainment including video, movies and gaming on more devices than ever. It also means our customers can be sure of the fastest Wi-Fi experience when it comes to working from home, be it online video conferencing or file sharing with colleagues. Virgin Media broadband network is delivering average download speeds that are over 72% faster than our nearest competitor.

 

We know our customers are using their broadband more than ever before with a 40% increase in data usage and a 22% increase in Wi-Fi usage across Virgin Media’s high speed residential broadband network during the period from March to June inclusive. With our recent announcement offering 1Gb broadband speeds to 97.5% of our network, we’re now giving customers the option of even faster broadband speeds to their homes and the latest in-home technology to unlock the power of this new capability. The fastest really has gotten even faster.”

 

Doug Suttles, CEO, GM and Co-Founder of Ookla said: "We are pleased to present Virgin Media with the award for Fastest Broadband and In-Home Wi-Fi Network in Ireland. This recognition is testament to their exceptional performance in Q1-Q2 2020 based on Ookla's rigorous analysis of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest."

 

The full results of the speed test can be viewed here.

1Gig broadband is available to new and existing customers and can be packaged with or without telephone, TV and mobile services. Priced at €85 per month on a 12 month contract, plus additional promotions will be available to celebrate the launch.

 

Virgin Media’s gigabit-capable network

Virgin Media has the largest gigabit-capable network in Ireland currently passing almost one million Giga-Ready premises. The network consists of both fibre-rich cable and fibre connected directly to the premises, both of which can provide customers with gigabit speeds. Upgrades to the network mean that Virgin Media has been able to introduce the gigabit service without needing to excavate roads and streets to install new cables.