Virgin Media O2 announces 400 jobs boost and gigabit milestone in the UK
Virgin Media O2 has announced plans to fill 400 jobs, including 100 apprenticeships, by the end of 2021. The announcement comes after the newly established company set out its plans to invest £10bn in the UK over the next five years.
There are more than 300 Field Engineer positions on offer, roles which will support the company’s mission to upgrade the UK and supercharge communities.
Successful applicants will be given comprehensive on-the-job training, business support and a company vehicle. Positions will be available across the UK – including in London and the South East, the North West and Scotland.
Of these positions, 100 are apprenticeship roles reinforcing Virgin Media O2’s commitment to helping individuals build experience, skills and knowledge through vocational and academic learning while earning a salary.
Gigabit milestone and continued expansion
Virgin Media O2 has today also added one-and-a-half million homes to its gigabit network, meaning that more than half of its footprint can now access hyperfast broadband speeds.
Virgin Media’s next-generation Gig1 broadband service, with average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, is the fastest available from a major broadband provider in the UK – 14 times quicker than the national average.
As well as preparing homes for the technologies and applications of tomorrow, gigabit speeds enable consumers to do more online – from working, streaming, socialising and gaming – all at the same time on multiple devices under the same roof.
As part of today’s gigabit switch-on, Virgin Media O2 has upgraded its network in locations across the UK, with residents in towns and cities such as Bournemouth, Bristol, Northampton, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Wigan and York now able to benefit from next-generation connectivity.
More than 8 million homes in all four UK nations are now able to access Virgin Media’s Gig1 service, making the operator the largest gigabit broadband provider in the UK.
By the end of 2021, Virgin Media O2 will deliver gigabit broadband speeds across its entire network of more than 15 million homes.
Lutz Schüler, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We are upgrading the UK to next-generation connectivity and today we’re hitting another important milestone with more than half of our network now able to access gigabit speeds.
“As the UK’s largest gigabit broadband provider today, with a clear plan to connect our entire network to these speeds by the end of the year, we’ll be delivering most of the Government’s broadband target ahead of schedule. Our continued investment is propelling the country up gigabit league tables and providing consumers with the connectivity they need both now and in future.”
Virgin Media O2 upgrading the UK to gigabit speeds
As part of its mission to upgrade the UK, the company has committed to invest at least £10bn over the next 5 years in the UK and, building on the success of its existing fibre network expansion activity, is actively exploring options to go further and faster by deploying fibre to millions of additional homes across the country.
This investment includes an accelerated monthly rollout of gigabit speeds to multiple locations across the UK between now and the end of the year.
Virgin Media O2’s gigabit expansion was highlighted in Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report as a key driver behind the 37% increase in homes now having access to gigabit speeds compared to last year.
Virgin Media O2 has also recently announced its intention to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) with completion in 2028. This technology is capable of delivering symmetrical 10Gbps download and upload speeds meaning Virgin Media O2 will build on its existing leadership position today and be well equipped for the decades ahead as the demand for speed and capacity continues to rise.
