Virgin Media offloads email services to third-party provider

Virgin Media is ditching its email services and offering customers a window in which to download their data and move to another email provider. The UK's second-biggest broadband provider is closing its own email service and offering users the option of transferring their addresses and mailboxes to Junara, a service operated by Australian email provider Atmail. Customers who want to retain their Virgin Media email address will be invited to transfer to Junara. The first year will be free for current Virgin Media customers, after which they will have to pay to continue using the service. Virgin Media email users will be contacted directly and given 45 days to sign up with Junara, save their data and move to another provider, or allow their account to close. The change affects all addresses ending in @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, @virgin.net, and @virginmedia.com. Virgin Media stopped issuing new email addresses to broadband customers in 2022, citing the growing popularity of dedicated services such as Gmail and Outlook. A spokesperson for the company told The Register: "As we focus and prioritize our investments and resource on ensuring our customers have the best connectivity experience, we have taken the decision to close the remaining Virgin Media email accounts. We're transferring our email service to Junara, a specialist cloud-based email provider owned by Atmail, giving users a clear route to keep their existing Virgin Media email address if they choose to." "We are writing directly to all impacted customers to clearly explain the changes and will provide a 45-day window to either sign up with Junara, move to an alternative email provider, or close their account. To support users through this transition, all current Virgin Media customers wishing to move to Junara will receive their first year of service free of charge, with additional support available for those who need it." Announcing the change in a blog post, Virgin Media O2 chief operating officer Alan Stott said most people now prefer dedicated email providers to accounts supplied by telecoms operators. "By transferring these email accounts to a specialist provider, we can focus our attention and investment on what we're ultimately here to do - provide fast and reliable broadband, mobile, landline and TV services, and give our customers the best possible experience." Virgin Media has not said how many active email accounts will be affected, but their users will have just 45 days to decide whether keeping their old address is worth signing up for a separate service. (R)