Virgin Media O2 extends FTTP network to Dalkeith

Virgin Media O2 has announced that it has extended its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to around 4,200 homes in the Midlothian town of Dalkeith. The work, part of the provider’s ongoing Project Lightning, will deliver gigabit-capable broadband to homes in the Woodburn area of the town.

Dalkeith becomes the latest area of Scotland to gain access to Virgin Media O2’s gigabit-capable Gig1 service, which the provider says offers average top speeds of 1,130 Mbps (megabits per second). The company claims that Woodburn residents will now be able to access broadband speeds that are up to 28 times faster than the local average.

The extension to Dalkeith follows Virgin Media O2’s activation of gigabit services in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas in November 2020. With Gig1, the company is looking to connect the entirety of its network of over 15 million UK premises to gigabit-capable broadband by the end of 2021.

The provider’s Project Lightning build, which it has been undertaking across the UK since 2015-16, has so far connected more than 2.7 million premises. The company has also committed to a minimum investment of £10 billion over the next five years to deploy and extend fibre broadband within the UK.

Announcing the extension of the Gig1 network to Dalkeith, Virgin Media O2 Director of Construction and Delivery Julie Agnew said: “We’re extending our network as part of our mission to upgrade the UK, giving more people access to our unbeatable services and ultrafast speeds.”

“Dalkeith residents can now benefit from ultrafast broadband nearly 30 times faster than local average as we supercharge services at a time when demand for fast and reliable connectivity has never been greater. Whether you’re downloading the latest update to Call of Duty or FaceTiming with family, with our broadband, this can all be done on multiple devices at the same time.”