Virgin Media has introduced what it says is Ireland’s fastest ever broadband service, offering speeds of up to 360 megabits per second (Mbps).

Subscribers availing of the new service will also receive free calls to landlines and mobiles across Ireland and in 22 countries.

According to Switcher.ie, broadband providers in Ireland typically offer connection speeds of 24Mb to 240Mb with some even claiming speeds of 120Mb and 1000Mb via super-fast fibre connections. However, the website stresses that these faster speeds are generally the exception to the rule.

Virgin said the introductory price for the service will be €30 per month for the first four months, rising to €60 per month thereafter.

The group, which recently rebranded from UPC, said data usage across its network has grown by 300 per cent over the past three years and by over 1200 per cent since 2010.

A recent report from Akamai Technologies ranked Ireland in seventh place globally for internet speeds for 2014 with an average speed of 13.9 Mbps. This compares to the world average of 3.8 Mbps. South Korea was ranked first with broadband speeds of 25.3 Mbps.