Virgin Broadband set to soar to 200Mbps

In recent years Virgin Media's adoption of NTL and Telewest has resulted in many of their customers getting a much improved service from adding the Virgin On Demand service to XL customers for free providing them with a wealth of programmes which they can watch at the drop of a hat to cheaper phone calls and call plans that rival some of the best mobile phone contracts.
In the past few years they have hired the services of actor Samuel L Jackson to promote their Broadband internet service touting better broadband for everyone with fibre optic cabling as opposed to the ancient copper wiring in place with most other providers. The fibre optic signal is not affected over distance and ensures a strong signal for all customers not those nearest to telephone exchanges.
This has become a sticking point for many keen broadband fanatics who when on copper cabling the further away from the local telephone exchange you live then the weaker the signal and the less speed you'll likely achieve. Virgin has used this new promise to their advantage able to push the speed of their service up to 50Mbps at the moment, the fastest available for UK homes, or so we thought.
Virgin has recently announced they plan to upgrade their network to a blistering 200Mbps speed and this isn't dreams of the future, this should be in place by next year (2010). The timing of this announcement overshadows the plans for rival BT's own fibre network set for completion in 2012 which would take their maximum speed to 40/60Mbps.
The 200MB figure is apparently only a theoretical limit and they think that a download speed of 100Mbps is entirely possible in the near future with the cooperation of application and content providers. Of course many customers are sceptical that they will ever see speeds like this as the often disputed actual speed of broadband means that we normally only get a fraction of the advertised speed.
You won't find Virgin's customers complaining though as they are at the moment paying on a three tier system where they have M, L and XL speeds, currently these sit at 10, 20 and 50Mbps respectively but every time Virgin Media has upgraded their network speeds the customers have not had to pay a penny more. Effectively they receive a service increase every year or so or whenever Virgin performs these speed increases.
The best way to measure your Broadband speed is to use some sort of broadband speed test, try not to use any bandwidth intensive services like video downloading whilst carrying out these tests. Many people have switched their internet providers in light of seeing that they are getting speeds massively under the advertised speed. Hearing from customers of other providers is often the deciding factor and if possible you should ask around friends and family members how fast their provider is.
If you are able to find another provider offering greater speeds in your area then maybe it's time you switched your provider, with networks like BT and Virgin increasing their speeds through new technologies like fibre cabling then hopefully the speeds will increase and be the same wherever you live.

Marketing Jobs in London

London is a major centre for the UK financial and media industries, but is also offering considerable employment for those in the service and manufacturing sectors. It may come as little surprise that the capital is also a prime destination for those with an interest in pursuing a career in marketing, and that many leading marketing people, companies, and exhibitions call London their home. Let's have a look at some of the leading businesses currently offering marketing jobs in London.
O2, now owned by Telefonica Europe plc, is a telecommunications company that has existed in some shape or form since 1985 (born as a partnership between British Telecom and Cellnet). Product-wise, the company is best known today for its broadband and mobile services, and subsequently through its acquisition of The Millennium Dome (now The O2) and its sponsorship of all Academy Music venues cementing its definitive brand. As the company continues to expand, it now employs 6000 people across the UK with marketing opportunities in Slough.
Virgin Media Inc. (formerly ntl:Telewest) is currently the biggest competitor for BSKYB in the UK and has its base in Hook (admittedly, not strictly London but near enough). The compnay now operates in a range of areas, including: TV, mobile and landline telephones, and even a pay-to-play online game AWOMO (A World of My Own). Despite announcements in November to cut jobs in some areas, their marketing team is undergoing continual expansion.
LexisNexis are perhaps less known than the other brands mentioned thus far. The name refers to an online searchable archive for journalists, lawyers, and academics - and considers itself to be 'the world's largest collection of public records, unpublished opinions, forms, legal, news, and business information.' Recently, the company have also opened up marketing opportunities across the UK including Croydon, Central London, and Wembley.
Camelot Group plc are perhaps best known for operating the UK National Lottery, and is currently run by five key shareholders: Cadbury Schweppes, Thales Electronics plc, Fujitsu Services Ltd., Royal Mail Enterprises Ltd., and De La Rue Holdings plc. The consortium have just embarked on their third franchise period, and subsequently increased the money it gives to good causes as well as commission for retailers. Camelot's internet marketing team is situated in Watford.