By Virgin Media offers Gig1 Fibre Broadband with gigabit download speeds (1,130Mbps) and a Virgin Media Hub 4 router.
In the UK, Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband service offers an average download speed of 1,130Mbps. This makes it the UK’s fastest major home broadband service with gigabit speeds.
At present, you can get Gig1 fibre broadband from £34.99 per month on Virgin Media. It includes the new Hub 4 router from Virgin Media, with the service currently available in around 10 million UK homes.
In this article, we’ll review Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband service. We’ll start by looking at the Gig1 fibre broadband plans, along with the speeds and coverage available on the service. We’ll also look at Virgin Media’s new Hub 4 router. Finally, we’ll compare Virgin Media’s Gig1 service to alternatives such as BT’s full fibre broadband, EE’s Fibre Max broadband and Sky’s Ultrafast Plus broadband.
| Prices From: | £34.99 per month |
|---|---|
| Contract Length: | 18 months |
| Download Speed: | 1,130Mbps average download |
| Upload Speed: | 52Mbps average upload |
| Router: | Virgin Media Hub 4 |
| Coverage: | 10 million+ UK homes (check your postcode) |
Contents
Virgin Media Gig1 Fibre Plans
In the UK, Virgin Media claims to be “the UK’s fastest major broadband provider”.
Their flagship fibre broadband service is known as Gig1 broadband and gives you an average download speed of 1,130Mbps. You’ll also get an average upload speed of 52Mbps and a new Hub 4 router to go with it.
You’ll currently pay £34.99 per month for Gig1 fibre broadband (or £53.99 per month for Gig1 fibre with a phone line).
The following table shows Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband deals:
| Service | Broadband & TV | Monthly Cost (will rise each April by RPI inflation plus 3.9%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Gig1 fibre broadband only
| 1130Mbps average download | £34.99 per month No upfront fee 3 months free 18 month contract | See deal |
Gig1 fibre broadband + phone
| 1130Mbps average download | £53.99 per month No upfront fee 18 month contract | See deal |
Volt Gig1 fibre broadband + phone + O2 SIM
| 1130Mbps average download | £53.99 per month No upfront fee £47.99 for 3 months 18 month contract | See deal |
Bigger Sports Combo Volt Bundle
| 1130Mbps average download  
| £79.99 per month No upfront fee 18 month contract | See deal |
Mega Volt Bundle
| 1130Mbps average download  
| £84.99 per month No upfront fee £20 for 3 months 18 month contract | See deal |
See all Virgin Media Gig1 Fibre deals →
As a Gig1 fibre broadband customer, you can add Virgin Media’s Intelligent WiFi Plus at no extra cost. This is a mesh wi-fi system that’s designed to improve the Wi-Fi coverage through your home. You’ll get up to three Intelligent WiFi Pods to boost the signal in your home.
If you’re unable to get Gig1 fibre broadband where you live, you should be able to get the Ultimate Oomph bundle instead with M600 broadband. This will give you an average download speed of 630Mbps. Alternatively, Virgin Media also offers a range of other fibre broadband plans (e.g. M500 broadband) along with combined broadband & TV bundles.
Gig1 Fibre Broadband Speeds
On Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband, you can expect an average download speed of 1,130Mbps. In normal usage during peak hours (8pm-10pm), Virgin Media says the download speed can range from 1,114Mbps to 1,144Mbps. You’ll also get a minimum guaranteed download speed of 565Mbps on the plan.
The average upload speed on Gig1 fibre broadband is 52Mbps (ranging from 50-52Mbps in normal peak hour usage). Compared to the full fibre (FTTP) broadband plans from other providers, Gig1 fibre tends to offer comparatively slower upload speeds.
According to the Virgin Media website, they don’t use any traffic management on their network. For this reason, you won’t see your speeds being reduced for using too much data or when using certain applications such as P2P file sharing.
Coverage & Availability
As of August 2021, Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband is available in around 10 million UK homes. This includes selected postcodes across the following UK cities and regions:
- Birmingham
- Blackpool
- Bournemouth
- Bradford
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Coventry
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Northampton
- Northern Ireland
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Reading
- South Wales
- Southampton
- Sunderland
- Swindon
- Wigan
- Wolverhampton
- York
The best way to see whether Gig1 fibre broadband is available where you live is by using the availability checker on Virgin Media’s website. This will tell you whether Gig1 fibre is available where you live. You can also register for updates on when Gig1 fibre broadband launches in your area.
Check Virgin Media Gig1 Broadband Availability →
According to Virgin Media, their current aim is to roll out Gig1 fibre to the whole of their network by the end of 2021. Once they’ve completed the rollout of the new technology, Gig1 fibre should be available in more than 15 million homes (approximately 53% of all UK homes).
Virgin Media Hub 4 Router
As a customer on Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband, you’ll receive the latest Virgin Media Hub 4 router to use with your broadband service.
In the background, the Hub 4 router will connect to Virgin Media’s cable network. It will produce a Wi-Fi network for your other devices to connect to, as well as giving you 4 Gigabit Ethernet sockets for attaching wired devices to your home network.
The following table shows the technical specifications of the Hub 4 router:
| Virgin Media Hub 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Availability | ||
| Broadband Plans: | Gig1 Fibre | |
| Connectivity | ||
| Dual-Band Wi-Fi: | Yes | |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity: | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | |
| Wi-Fi Speed: | Up to 2,183Mbps total | |
| 2.4GHz Wi-Fi: | 3×3 MIMO (up to 450Mbps) | |
| 5GHz Wi-Fi: | 4×4 MIMO (up to 1,733Mbps) | |
| Intelligent WiFi: | Yes, included | |
| Intelligent WiFi Plus: | Included with Gig1 Fibre | |
| Ethernet: | 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports | |
| Other: | WPA2 / WPA / WEP security Built-in firewall Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) enabled |
|
| Other | ||
| Model: | Arris TG3492LG-VMB | |
| Colour: | Black | |
| More Information: | Virgin Media Website | |
The older Virgin Media Hub 3 router is not compatible with Gig1 fibre. This is because Gig1 fibre uses DOCSIS 3.1 technology, whereas the older Hub 3 router only supports DOCSIS 3.0 technology.
There’s more information about the Hub 4 on Virgin Media’s website.
Other Gigabit Broadband Providers
Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre isn’t the only gigabit-capable broadband service in the UK.
In around 6 million UK homes, you can also get gigabit-capable broadband from providers such as BT, EE and Vodafone. Making use of full fibre (FTTP) technology on the Openreach network, they offer download speeds of up to 900Mbps and upload speeds of up to 110Mbps. At present, you can get gigabit broadband from £38 per month on these providers:
| Service | Download Speed | Monthly Cost (will rise each April by £3) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Full Fibre 900 | 910Mbps average download | £38.00 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
 EE Full Fibre Gigabit | 900Mbps average download | £44.99 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
 Full Fibre 900 | 910Mbps average download | £44.99 per month No upfront fee £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
You can also consider Sky’s Ultrafast Plus broadband and TalkTalk’s Fibre 500 broadband if you don’t need full gigabit speeds.
At certain addresses, other full fibre providers may also offer a gigabit broadband service. For instance, Hyperoptic offers full fibre broadband in 500,000+ homes for only £38 per month. You’ll also get symmetrical speeds (900Mbps download and 900Mbps upload).
| Service | Download Speed | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hyperfast (24 months) | 900Mbps average download | £38.00 per month plus £19.00 upfront 24 month contract | See deal |
Hyperfast (12 months) | 900Mbps average download | £39.00 per month plus £19.00 upfront 12 month contract | See deal |
Hyperfast (1 month) | 900Mbps average download | £63.00 per month plus £29.00 upfront 1 month contract | See deal |
One major difference between Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband and other gigabit broadband providers is that Gig1 fibre doesn’t use full fibre technology. Instead, it’s a cable-based service using DOCSIS 3.1 technology. This means a fibre optic cable runs to a nearby street cabinet, with a coaxial cable running between the cabinet and your home.
Although DOCSIS 3.1 can give comparable download speeds to full fibre technology, the upload speeds will normally be slower. The latency of your connection will also typically be higher which can affect things such as online gaming.
Switching to Virgin Media
If you’re switching to Virgin Media’s Gig1 fibre broadband, it’s easy to do this.
Start by ordering your new Virgin Media Gig1 broadband service online. When you place your order, you’ll be able to choose the installation date. Usually, a Virgin Media engineer will come round to install the service. However, if you’ve previously been connected to the Virgin Media network, you might be able to self-install Gig1 broadband with a QuickStart kit.
You’ll need to contact your old provider to let them know that you’re moving to Virgin Media. Ideally, you’ll need to cancel your service with them on the same date that your new Virgin Media service goes live.
For step-by-step instructions on how to switch to Virgin Media, please select your current broadband provider below:
Switch to Virgin Media
Your step-by-step guide to switching
For more information, see our full guide to switching broadband provider in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is Gig1 fibre broadband? | Gig1 is Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband service. It gives you an average download speeds of 1,130Mbps and an average upload speed of 52Mbps. |
|---|---|
| Where can I get Gig1 fibre broadband? | The Gig1 service is currently available in around 10 million UK homes. To see whether Gig1 fibre broadband is available where you live, enter your postcode on Virgin Media’s online availability checker. |
| What is the Virgin Media Hub 4? | You’ll get Virgin Media’s new Hub 4 router when you sign up for the Gig1 fibre broadband service. This supports Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) connectivity with up to 4×4 MIMO on 5GHz Wi-Fi. You’ll also get 4 Gigabit Ethernet sockets for connecting wired devices to your network. |
| How much does Gig1 broadband cost? | At present, the Gig1 service is available from £34.99 per month. There’s also a £35 fee for setting up the service. You can also get it with a phone line included for £53.99 per month. An 18-month contract and a £35 set-up fee applies. |
More Information
For more information about Gig1 fibre broadband, please see the official Virgin Media website.
Tim loves Sardines said:
These reviews better not be true, I am getting the Gig1 soon because right now my ISP cannot provide me with speeds higher than 34mbps down and 10mbps up. yes, you read that right, basically 4MB/s download and roughly 1.2 MB/s upload. To download an 80 Gig file took almost 5.5 hours.
If the hub and the connection areas bad as people are saying it can go back. My current ISP do not shut off my connection until 2 weeks after Virgin Media has installed my Broadband and TV package.
Don’t touch my sardines, I’ll get very angry if you touch them.
Kingdoz replied:
Hi Tim Love Sardines? So, was it much better than your normal fibre? I mean any dropouts or bad latency or anything else? Please come back and let us know ASAP. many of us in a similar boat considering the speeds but worried about signing up long term and giving up stability for the possibility of fast speeds. Any latency or bad support and dropouts compared to Gfast or FTTP. Also, is this a business line or home line?
Emma said:
I’m seeing awful comments on here about the hub4 virgin 1gig, but I’ve had it put in today and it’s the best WiFi I’ve ever had. Super fast connection I love it
Rahim virmani said:
The 1gb service from Virgin just does not work. I was on M500 package with Hub 3 and got 500mbs no issues soon as I upgraded to 1gb and hub4 on day 1 got 119mbs day 2 went up to 239mbs day 3 the engineer who was supposed to come was a no show. Had to wait 2 days and on day 6 the engineer came for 20mins said he checked the cable is ok 1150mbs into hub. Did not bother to check the output just advised not Virgins problem and the internet based tools cannot handle 1gb speed and probably my devuces as well and quickly disappeared.
I had 18 months of trouble free broadband with M500 but now 1gb on offer does not work and the service is well below any standard.
Alan Shellard replied:
Yes you are right I have endured a similar situation. I upgraded for the 200 Mbps deal to the 1gig service and VW4 router. my speeds now vary from 400, to 210, down to to 9 and occasionally 720Mbps depending on who else is on line I presume. I have never got as high as the declared in the promotions speed. Various phone calls to VM have not helped, so a rethink is need I think.
Brian replied:
I thought I had a problem with the gig1 service BUT it just turns out it’s the equipment testing the speed on that was the problem ,also ask the tech if his equipment can handle 1 gig as the first tech did not have the equipment to handle 1 gig , also try https://samknows.com/realspeed/ and only go by the left speed not the right as like I said above ur equipment can’t handle 1 gig .