Telewest clogs connections to promote benefits of broadband

Leaves El Reg choked

Cable outfit Telewest has been sending a megabyte sized file puffing the merits of broadband to hacks with slow speed connections.

Telewest regularly sends out releases that stress the bandwidth challenge, and El Reg has asked them in the past to stop the irksome practice of sending press releases including hi-res images of its logo and the like.

Today's bandwidth grabbing monster, THE NEED FOR SPEED! - new blueyonder campaign has broadband appeal, takes the biscuit.

Sent with images (one of which weighs in at 953KB) from an upcoming poster campaign, the press release chirps why are there underground pipes wide enough for Barry White to squeeze down in an instant.

Hey, Telewest, good question - is it anything to do with the amount of unsolicited email been sent around these days?

Did you realise that it takes only seconds to access the latest Jennifer Lopez video?

Not if your connection is kept busy downloading spam, it doesn't.

No speed restrictions apply.

Really? You don't say.

We tried to speak to Telewest on the phone about why it had taken to promoting broadband through choking up people's individual connections, surely as a telco it should know better than anyone the effects of its actions. Unfortunately by the time the damn thing had downloaded Telewest's consumer PR co-ordinator had gone to lunch.

Telewest plans to spend £2.5 million this Summer promoting its blueyonder broadband internet service and we only hope it'll keep any online and email promotions low bandwidth.

Earlier this month Telewest was cleared of producing misleading advertising after it claimed that its broadband service was ten times faster than its dial-up service. ®

Update

On Thursday, Telewest called and promised not to send us such bandwidth monsters in the future. A spokeswoman conceded it didn't have to send megabyte-sized images in order to get its messages across.

External Links

The need for speed! - new blueyonder campaign has broadband appeal

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