Virgin Media Business Limited is a telecommunications provider specialising in providing services to businesses. The company is a subsidiary of Virgin Media, and was formerly named ntl:Telewest Business until 11 February 2010.
History
During November 2010, Virgin Media Business became the first telecommunications provider in the world to re-certify its Ethernet portfolio under MEF 9 and 14 service validation structure. Later that month, Virgin Media Business committed its support for the nationwide fibre-optic network to the UK Government to underpin the Public Services Network, the Cabinet Office programme designed to deliver substantial cost savings through a ‘network of networks’ for public sector organisations. In January 2011, London Grid for Learning selected Virgin Media Business to power a £200 million framework agreement to transform the delivery of public services in and around London. In February 2011, Virgin Media Business launched a new proposition offering data centres access to carrier grade connectivity. Virgin Media Business was awarded the UK's first interim Public ServicesNetwork security accreditation in April 2011. The accreditation meant that Virgin Media Business was the first organisation allowed to operate as a Direct Network Service Provider and a Government Conveyance Network Service Provider. Full accreditation was awarded in July 2011. During May 2011, Virgin Media Business partnered with data centre provider, ICM, to launch a Colocation service. The service offers businesses access to 11 data centres across the UK. June 2011 saw Virgin Media Business and Westminster City Council launch a new £190 million pan-London IT framework. In July 2011, Virgin Media Business was awarded one of three places on the Government Procurement Service Managed Telecommunications Convergence Framework. The new framework will act as a resource for public sector organisations to buy Public Services Network compliant technologies, and is the first such framework in the UK. Virgin Media Business is the UK's only telco with a nationwide fibre optic Next Generation Network. Organisations working with Virgin Media Business include London City Airport, Arqiva, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership and South West Water.
Services
In September 2010, Virgin Media Business launched Big Red Internet, the first dedicated business Internet service, without constraints or extra charges. In September 2011, Virgin Media Business signed a deal with Mobile Broadband Network Ltd to provide the UK's first synchronous Ethernet mobile backhaul network – expanding the bandwidth available to Hutchinson 3G UK and EE for their 3G and 4G network requirements with 1Gigabit per second connectivity. In September 2011, the division announced that it had partnered with Savvis to launch its first true cloud product, the Virtual Private Data Centre.
