Virgin Media Broadband network to be checked out by SamKnows

Access to Virgin Medias 50Mbps broadband network is now available to 12 million UK homes following the completion of an 18 month upgrade project that has seen its fibre network capacity triple in size and now the network provider is looking to SamKnows to run performance tests on its new network.

In order to gain a real indication of the actual quality of service its customers are now receiving Virgin Media will now be using SamKnows to perform technical performance testing that will be more customer-orientated.

Many industry experts consider the most accurate and true measure of broadband performance to be the hardware-based tests that are carried out by SamKnows, an official technical partner for Ofcom.

To enable the fine tuning of Virgin’s broadband network in the future, information will be gathered over the next 12 months from 750 customers of Virgin Media’s broadband network who will have their internet connection tested by the company an a regular basis.

The executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, Jon James said “Virgin Media’s reputation is built on the quality of our products and we’re committed to improving our customers’ broadband experience in every way possible. We made the decision to employ one of the UK’s leading independent broadband testing experts to ensure that we are able to continue to lead the market for broadband. The superior reliability and accuracy of its data make it an ideal partner to help us fine-tune and improve the products we offer our customers.”

Alex Salter the chairman of SamKnows added “This deal represents a significant shift in service provider attitudes. Instead of simply complying with external regulation, in a pioneering step, Virgin Media is proactively looking to assess itself to make sure its customers are getting value for money. The move can only be good for the consumer, especially if it encourages other ISPs to follow Virgin Media’s lead. With Digital Britain top of everyone’s mind and conclusions of the first Ofcom Broadband Speeds project illustrating the gap between advertised and experienced speeds, now is the ideal time for broadband providers to take a long, hard look at their services to ensure customers are getting what their broadband packages promise.”

Source – Digitalspy