Virgin Media has announced that millions of its broadband users are getting a free update that will offer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This upgrade, called smart support, is rolling out now and will keep a constant eye on broadband connections across the UK. Once activated, it automatically checks broadband coverage and instantly prioritises assistance for customers experiencing significant speed or connectivity issues.

If a problem is spotted, smart support will suggest simple steps to help get things back on track. It's hoped this will keep users online and stop annoying outages.

Another nice addition is Virgin's ability to tackle problems remotely overnight. The service provider says that smart support works in the background, implementing necessary fixes and updates while households are asleep. This is aimed at avoiding broadband disruption during the day when the majority of us need an internet connection.

This new service is also able to assess the need for a WiFi Pod or Hub upgrade. If smart support detects that extra help is needed to ensure strong coverage throughout a customer's home, Virgin Media will proactively reach out and offer solutions like WiFi Pods to boost signal strength and improve connectivity.

Finally, if things get really bad, smart support lets customers book an engineer at no extra cost.

Speaking about the changes, Gareth Lister, Director of Connectivity at Virgin Media O2, said: "Every year, we see demand on our network continue to rise - and with it, the need for fast, reliable connectivity. smart support monitors broadband 24/7 and fixes issues quickly, giving our customers extra peace of mind they'll stay connected.

"Combined with our ultrafast speeds and award-winning reliability, it's just another way Virgin Media is keeping customers connected when it matters most."

Virgin Media has confirmed that it is rolling out smart support to all of its customers as standard and at no extra cost.