Virgin Media has urged consumers seeking the fastest broadband speeds to sign up for its web services, rather than those of a rival internet service providers (ISP).

The firm has taken out an advert in the national media claiming that the company offers "unrivalled" download capabilities which cannot currently be matched by other players in the market.

According to the ISP, it offers an average peak-time download speed of 16.5Mb - as reported by media regulator Ofcom - which is double that achieved by its rivals Sky, TalkTalk and BT.

"But don't just take Ofcom's word for it. Experience it for yourself," Virgin Media claimed.

The company commented that its up-to-20Mb broadband packages also offer unlimited downloads.

Consumers signing up for Virgin Media broadband before August 22nd can take advantage of two months free web services and free installation.