The upgrades are part of an overall change to Virgin’s cable broadband offering which will see it marketing three service levels: up to 10Mb, 20Mb and 50Mb.

Existing 2Mb users should see their speed adjusted automatically to Virgin’s new ‘entry level’ 10Mb package during a rolling programme the company plans to introduce area by area, starting in May. Virgin has not confirmed how long it needs in order to introduce the upgrades across its entire cable network.

Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media said: “Our entry-level broadband product is now twice the speed of comparable services and, with our new 10-20-50 range, we clearly offer the highest quality broadband service in the UK.

“The migration of millions of 2Mb customers to 10Mb is only possible because of the power of our next generation network and is just one example of how we are creating exciting propositions for consumers which provide transformational experiences and go way beyond their expectations.

“Coupled with our recently launched 50Mb service, we are proactively developing the UK’s broadband market, driving consumer expectations and the demand for high speed broadband services.”

The 10Mb service will cost cable customers £14 per month when bundled with a Virgin phone line subscription.