It is understood the parent company is considering going even further on the back of encouraging take-up of Virgin Media services in areas where previously broadband was only available via BT’s network. In its most recent results, the operator reported its strongest customer gains since 2008. No decisions have been made, however, amid continued uncertainty over reforms of Openreach, BT’s network division, by Ofcom, the industry watchdog. It aims to encourage broadband operators dependant on BT’s network – Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone – to invest in their own infrastructure. That could weaken the case for Liberty Global to sink more money into laying new cables, sources said. Virgin Media has argued against the most radical options for reforming Openreach, such as separating it from BT entirely, which Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone have claimed would enable them to invest in infrastructure.
Liberty Global, the cable group behind Virgin Media, is considering increasing the pressure on BT with a major network expansion. Tom Mockridge, chief executive of Virgin Media, has asked the Liberty Global board for extra funding for Project Lightening, a £3bn project to connect an additional four million homes and businesses to the cable network by 2008. However, uncertainty over reforms of BT's Openreach by Ofcom means no decisions have yet been made. Virgin Media has argued against separating Openreach from BT, which Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone say would allow them to invest in infrastructure.