I got to say in allot of remote exchanges the only ones active are talktalk LLU so if you want speed there you're only choice.

Should be fine. Lots of scare stories, but an awful lot of customers who can't all be wrong to be staying .

Fine for "normal" users but to be avoided if you want anything more advanced!

Rubbish. I'm not a "normal" user and I don't have a problem with the TalkTalk service. In fact, I'm glad TalkTalk unbundled the exchange because I don't see anyone else offering decent speeds here.

What else is there to do I wonder? P2P? Works fine if you time it right. Gaming? Works fine. Surfing and email? Works fine. What else is there? Oh yes, streaming video? Works fine, no stuttering unless the server is busy. Watched the apprentice in HD from iplayer the other day, very nice. First HD I had watched since getting the new monitor.

That sounds incredibly like "normal" usage! My mother (a grandmother) uses her connection for all those things....

However, maybe you're a kid at college that's wanting to run an FTP server for friends, web server as you're learning to code and run a web server, maybe even email and DNS hosting. So, you'd need at least 1 static IP although a block of 8 would be best along with no traffic shaping. That's what I'd say doesn't constitute normal use!