Thanks, Tim and Brett, for the good comments and the tips!
I'm pleased to learn about Eclipse:
and about Black Cat:
http://www.blackcatnetworks.co.uk
both of which seem to have commendable attributes. It seems Black Cat run on Linux, so one can expect some understanding in the event of seeking tech support (as opposed to the BT help desk minion when I was enquiring about setting up authenticated SMTP on Linux, whose reply was "We do not support that software. Please consult the help desk of your software supplier.")
Also, from the Eclipse web site I learn that they are now part of Kingston Communications, which merges them into a group with a long tradition of reliable independence of BT (Kingston upon Hull had for about 100 years the one and only independent telecomms service in the UK).
Black Cat do indeed seem to be more expensive than others for a similar level of service, but being "uncapped" and also Linux based is a merit that could be worth paying for.
Best wishes to all, Ted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 18-Jun-05 Time: 09:41:29 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------