Virgin Media has
started testing a 200Mpbs network service in 100 houses in Ashford,
Kent, following the commercial roll-out of its 50Mbps service,
which is due to be completed at the end of the summer.
A Virgin Media spokesman said the company had identified 400,000
homes it could add to its present footprint of 12.5 million.
Cisco is providing technology and collaborative technical
support for the pilot.
If the trials prove successful, this will be the fastest
implementation of the DOCSIS3 technology, which allows broadband
networking over TV-based co-axial cable, Virgina Media said.
Equivalent services in Japan and the US currently reach 160Mbps and
101Mbps respectively.
Virgin Media will test applications using TV and broadband
content in high definition (HD) and 3D. It will also test home IT
networked applications, including video conferencing and home
surveillance.
Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett said the pilot will run for at
least six months and include technology and commercial viability
tests. He said in-home networking could prove tricky as there are
now no wireless routers that work at 200Mbps, and even personal
computers need top-end specifications to take advantage of the
extra speed.
A further issue is the development of applications that use the
bandwidth fully.
She said the company was pushing for higher speeds on all media.
In Wales its business division, ntl:Telewest, is
working with a wireless network operator TFL to bring 100Mbps
broadband access to rural areas. It is also waiting for T-Mobile,
from whom it buys mobile broadband capacity, to introduce faster
access.