British telecommunications company Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has started rolling out a "smart support" service aimed at improving broadband reliability for customers. This initiative comes as a response to research indicating that 34 percent of British broadband users lack confidence in resolving WiFi issues themselves. This will help to boost broadband reliability by proactively tackling issues remotely at no extra cost for customers, VMO2 said on Monday.
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Introduction of Smart Support
According to the company, the smart support service, powered by technology from Cisco ThousandEyes (formerly SamKnows), will initially target 300,000 Virgin Media broadband customers for assessment and improvement over the year. It promises to enhance customers' streaming, video calling, and gaming experiences by monitoring WiFi Hubs and identifying potential issues such as speed drops and disconnections.
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Key Features and Benefits
Key features include continuous monitoring of broadband speeds and connection performance, automatic overnight resolution attempts for detected faults, personalised advice for unresolved issues, and easy booking of free engineer appointments if necessary.
VMO2 said later this year, the smart support service will evolve to accurately diagnose a wider range of in-home connectivity issues and offer guidance on tackling WiFi blackspots to ensure signal throughout the home.
"We're rolling out a new, innovative smart support service that will proactively act as a helping hand to fix network niggles and optimize the performance of our connectivity – often with customers not needing to do a thing. Smart support will evolve over time, reducing hassle for our customers and further improving connectivity for those that need it to offer a best-in-class service for all," Virgin Media O2 said.
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WiFi guarantee
Additionally, Virgin Media O2 offers a WiFi guarantee to customers with Virgin Media broadband and an O2 pay monthly mobile plan, ensuring minimum download speeds of 30 Mbps in every room or providing EUR 100 credit, without any additional cost. This guarantee sets a higher minimum speed threshold compared to competitors such as BT, EE, Sky, and Vodafone, the company said.
