Nice speed ... Brittish television and telephony company Virgin Media Inc said Monday it is launching the U.K.'s fastest broadband Internet service. The company, which operates in the U.K. but is U.S.-listed, launched 50 megabit broadband Monday, which will allow albums to be downloaded in 11 seconds and films in just over three minutes.

The service will cost as much as GBP51 a month for new subscribers, or GBP35 a month when taken with a phone line, the company said. At a press conference in London Monday, Chief Executive Neil Berkett said that, by the end of the year, 40% of its customers will have access to the new high-speed broadband, and by summer 2009 all of the 12.6 million homes covered by its fiber optic network will have access to the service.

"Customers need and want faster broadband and are willing to pay for a great service," Berkett said. "In November 2008, at the beginning of what we all know are tough economic times, over 55% of our customers are paying for premium 10 megabit of 20 megabit broadband."

He added that Virgin Media has the ability to expand to provide up to 200 megabit broadband in future.