Virgin Media Warns Customers Of 5.4 Percent Price Hike For Broadband And Phone Bundle

United Kingdom subscribers to one of the Virgin Media's Big bundles, which are postpaid plans that cover phone and broad Internet service, will see a 5.4 percent increase in monthly charges for the specified lineup of plans starting next year.

In February 2016, Virgin Media customers who are registered to the Big Easy and Big Connection bundles will see a £3.49 ($5.32) increase with the packages' monthly charges. On the other hand, those who have the Big Kahuna, Big Daddy and Big Bang bundles will see their bills spike by £3.99 ($6.07). The price increase includes a line rental charge increase of £1 ($1.52)

Note that earlier this year, Virgin Media upgraded the bandwidth of the said plans and stated that it will be free of charge.

The service provider justifies the price hikes are implemented in order to sustain and build its network and provide its subscribers with better service. Moreover, according to The Register, a Virgin Media spokesperson disclosed that the price increase is parallel to the speed boost the company offers.

"We are doing everything we can to keep prices as competitive as possible," Virgin Media's managing director Gregor McNeil tells The Register. "We are again upgrading our customers' broadband speeds and providing unlimited downloads."

Subscribers who are not willing to submit to the service price hike have the option to terminate their subscription. Virgin Media will not impose penalties on those who will terminate their subscriptions in lieu of complying with the price increase.

British Telecommunications plc, TalkTalk, Plusnet and Sky are some of the competing providers which those in the U.K. can switch to. However, based on Ofcom's published test results as of November 2014, Virgin Media leads the pack for average daily download speeds, as well as download statistics during traffic hours.

Photo : Raver Mikey | Flickr