Virgin Media acquires Smallworld Fibre

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Virgin Media today announced it has acquired Smallworld Fibre for an undisclosed amount. The deal will see thousands of homes in western Scotland and north west England benefit from access to the UK’s fastest widely available broadband and the most advanced TV entertainment service for the first time later this year.

Smallworld’s fibre optic network currently passes 40,000 homes, delivering top broadband speeds of 100Mb, cable TV including over a hundred channels, and landline phone services to customers in Irvine, Dreghorn, Troon and Kilmarnock as well as Carlisle, Lancaster and Morecambe.

Virgin Media will connect Smallworld’s network to the company’s own superfast fibre optic infrastructure, which already passes half of all UK homes.

Virgin Media currently offers award-winning broadband eight times faster than the national average at 120Mb – a speed which the company is soon to increase to 152Mb, twice as fast as BT or anything else widely available.

The company also offers customers Virgin Media TiVo®, a next generation digital entertainment service that combines over two hundred TV channels, HD and 3D TV as well as thousands of hours of on demand entertainment and the best of web, all  searchable through a sophisticated, intelligent set-top box.

Paul Buttery, Virgin Media’s chief customer, technology and networks officer, said: “Even better broadband can open up fantastic possibilities for people as well as support the economic growth of an area. Smallworld will help us bring Virgin Media’s advanced services to thousands of homes, businesses and organisations for the very first time. Their great network is a perfect fit for us as we continue to invest and look for the right opportunities to grow. We’re excited about what the region has to offer and what we can offer the region.”

David Durnford, MD and owner of Smallworld Fibre, said: “Virgin Media has led the way in bringing superfast broadband and next generation TV to millions of UK homes and our customers will now be able to benefit from their significant ongoing investment and innovation. Smallworld is a great, local success story and, as the pace of change in the digital world continues to quicken, we’re delighted to be passing the baton onto such a great partner.”

Media Contacts

Virgin Media – Gareth Mead – 0333 000 2584 and gareth.mead@virginmedia.co.uk

Virgin Media offers four multi award-winning services across the UK and Ireland: broadband, TV, mobile phone and landline.

The company’s dedicated, ultrafast network delivers the fastest widely available broadband speeds to homes and businesses. And we’re expanding this through our £3bn Project Lightning programme, which will reach 17 million premises.

Our interactive TV service brings live programmes, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and the best apps and games in a set-top box, as well as on-the-go for tablets and smartphones.

We launched the world’s first virtual mobile network, offering fantastic value and services to customers. We are also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the UK and Ireland.

Through Virgin Media Business we support entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector, delivering the fastest widely available broadband speeds and tailor-made services.

Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international cable company. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 27 million customers across 14 countries.