Virgin ireland getting 5 gig soon
When will the Uk be getting 5 gig the same as ireland
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Virgin Media Ireland has just started offering a 5 Gigabit broadband service as of July 2025, priced at €50 per month. It’s a significant jump in speed, aimed at future-proofing homes for ultra-high bandwidth needs—think simultaneous 4K streaming, cloud-heavy workstations, and smart home ecosystems humming at full capacity.
No official timeline has been shared yet for a similar 5Gb rollout in the UK
Virgin Media Broadband & TV in Ireland | Best Broadband Bundles
It would also depend on your motherboard you would need a suitable Network card Amazon.co.uk : BrosTrend 5Gb PCIe Network Card
Only 50 euro per month
This will happen over VM UK's XGS-PON, but I don't think it will happen for some years as VM has many other issues to resolve.
Would that make it LGS-PON aka 50G-PON
Nope, XGS-PON is more than capable of 5Gbps symmetrical.
Only Netomnia has deployed 50PON so far in the UK on their FTTP network having migrated from XGS-PON. BT is still deploying legacy GPON.
They haven't migrated from XGSPON.
For the last 20 years or so Ireland was giving huge tax breaks to Apple to be based in the Republic and the EU wasn't happy about it. The EU courts decided Aple had to pay Ireland billions in back taxes. Ireland has decided to spend it on laying fibre broadband from one end of the country to the other, even to the most isolated areas.
The UK will get widespread 5 gig broadband when (a) The UK has £50bn to spare (b) the Treasury realises that the Internet is not a passing fad and highspeed broadband would be an investment and not a cost centre and (c) the UK government does not leave it all to private investors but actually tries to create new national infrastructure off its own bat the way that only visionary governments can.
ie, The same week flying pig races will be televised for the first time...
This service is being offered on privately owned network. Nothing to do with any government broadband initiative.
