Virgin Media has announced plans to upgrade millions of its 2Mbit/s subscribers to a 10Mbit/s service, thanks to upgrades currently underway across its network which are expected to triple its data carrying capacity.

The company will provide a trio of fibre optic services, comprising "up to 10Mbit/s", "up to 20Mbit/s" and, for those who can receive it, the "up to 50Mbit/s" service launched in December.

Virgin Media said that the new baseline service supports the government's Digital Britain policy agenda, and forms part of the investment in its Next Generation Broadband platform.

"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," said Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media.

Berkett said this announcement, combined with the recently launched 50Mbit/s service, highlights the insatiable demand for high-speed broadband services following the surge in rich media, streaming video and online gaming.

Prices for the new service start at £14 a month for the slowest package, when taken with a Virgin phone line at £11 per month. Migrations are expected to start in May.

Virgin Media was recently slammed in a report by comparison site Moneysupermarket.com as the second worst offender for stinging customers with unexpected charges, including for features such as paper billing.