Virgin Media 2011 Annual Report Download - page 14

Business Segment
Our Business segment, managed through Virgin Media Business, offers a broad portfolio of voice, data and
internet solutions to commercial and public sector organizations in the U.K., ranging from analog telephony to
managed data networks and applications. Our Business segment peak usage occurs at different times of the day
from our Consumer segment peak usage, which allows better use of our network. Through Virgin Media
Business, we provide services to approximately 50,000 U.K. businesses and almost 250 public sector
organizations. We also supply communications services to around three quarters of the U.K.’s health and
emergency services providers and nearly one half of U.K. police forces.
Products and Services
Voice
We offer a comprehensive range of voice products, from analog and digital services to converged internet
protocol, or IP, telephony solutions. Our business voice solutions include basic features, such as call divert and
voicemail, as well as products such as Centrex, which provides switchboard-like capability that is managed from
our telephone exchange, offering our customers a cost-effective, scalable alternative to a premise-based system.
These mature services continue to be offered in parallel with a next generation of converged services, allowing
customers to migrate to new technologies gradually.
Data and Internet Services
Converged Solutions
Converged solutions use a single network to transport voice, data and video, allowing our customers to
benefit from cost synergies. Additionally, we offer services such as IP virtual private networks, which enable our
customers to prioritize bandwidth for different types of traffic so that more time sensitive data or critical
application data is transported with priority, providing increased flexibility and control over data management.
Our extensive network reach also enables us to offer large or dispersed organizations the ability to effectively
link sites across the U.K. using a wide range of access technologies, supporting services such as voice and video
conferencing, instant messaging and file transfers.
Ethernet
The Virgin Media Business Ethernet network has approximately 300 Ethernet nodes and is capable of
carrying a variety of services and high bandwidth applications simultaneously. We have been delivering Ethernet
services for over 10 years and have achieved both Metro Ethernet Forum, or MEF 9 and MEF 14 accreditation
(becoming the first service provider in the world to renew this accreditation), ensuring our Ethernet product
portfolio can support stringent real-time communications applications, including voice over IP, or VOIP, and
HD-quality videoconferencing. We offer a range of products from local area network extensions to managed
wide area Ethernet networks, providing our customers with high bandwidth and flexible solutions, including
market-leading point to multi-point services.
Applications and Services
As an overlay to network products, we also offer applications, such as IP closed circuit television, or CCTV,
video-conferencing, and managed services, such as information security services, designed to increase flexibility
and reduce costs to our customers.
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