Ofcom says Virgin Media offers fastest fibre broadband

Virgin Media offers the fastest fibre optic broadband service in the UK, according to new research from Ofcom.

The cable company's up to 50Mbps package was clocked by the regulator as achieving an average download speed of approximately 49Mbps, placing it ahead of the up to 40Mbps BT Infinity service, which achieved a typical rate of 34Mbps.

However, BT can legitimately claim to offer the fastest upload speeds in the country, as its Infinity product was found to allow a typical upstream capability of 8.8Mbps.

Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, said consumers can look forward to getting even faster speeds over the coming years.

"Most households in the UK can now access super-fast broadband services and these services are set to get faster still as Virgin Media aims to double the speeds of most of its cable services," he explained.

Virgin is set to start its major programme of speed boosts this month, with more than four million of its customers in line to receive double their current download rates as a result of the work.