Virgin Media has launched its consumer 1Gbps broadband offering in Southampton - the first UK city to get it ahead of a national rollout over the following weeks and months.

The Virgin Media Gig1 service boasts average peak time download speed of 1,104Mbps, it is claimed, plus an upload speed of 52Mbps (upload speeds on other packages have typically topped-out at 20Mbps).

The service is available to new and existing customers in activated regions, albeit at a premium. Broadband only, for example, will cost £62 per month, while broadband, landline and the basic TV package will set you back £72 per month.

The Ultimate Oomph Bundle is the top-of-the-line package and includes Gig1 broadband, landline, unlimited 4G mobile SIM and all TV channels - including Sky Sports, etc. It costs £119 per month.

A new router, the Virgin Media Hub 4, is needed for the new service. It is powered by the Intel Puma 7 chipset and supports wave 2 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

To celebrate its launch, Virgin Media will host a free gig by Craig David at Southampton's St Mary's stadium on Thursday 10 October. Ticket information will be released soon.

You can find out more about the Gig1 service here.