The upgrades, which will include stuff like larger inboxes and better email search, come courtesy of a deployment of Google Apps Partner Edition.  This should be the largest deployment to date, netting Google some revenue and a great deal of exposure.

Doug Lucas, Strategic Partner Development Director for Google, stated as a result, "Virgin Media is one of the UK’s leading ISPs and this is a great partnership between two companies focused on innovation.  We look forward to rolling out new features for the benefit of all Virgin Media’s customers."

And Virgin Media will benefit, too, of course.  By offering better and more reliable email service, it should be able to make customers happier (and perhaps more numerous).  Also, since Virgin Media was maintaining @blueyonder.co.uk, @ntlworld.com, and @virgin.net email addresses (and @virginmedia.com addresses are now becoming available), handing over the reigns to Google should spare the company a fair amount of confusion.

Finally, here’s one more interesting tidbit: a formal release claimed, "[T]he two companies continue to work together to explore a range of additional services and applications."

These three corporations are fairly huge in the UK, and Phorm indicates that its platform, the Open Internet Exchange (OIX), should lead to everyone receiving more money and fewer complaints.

"The OIX is a marketplace serving campaigns on the most productive inventory for advertisers and helping online publishers increase the value of their websites," according to a statement.  "It will also revolutionise current standards of online privacy and fully protect the identity of consumers."

We’re inclined to believe Phorm, at least on that second front, as it had Ernst & Young take a look at OIX’s privacy aspects.  Also, in another development that should boost onlookers’ confidence, FT.com, Universal McCann, and iVillage all signed up for the launch (though that last entity isn’t doing so well).

OIX’s ability to work well with Virgin Media, BT, and TalkTalk remains to be seen.  But Phorm seems to have succeeded in establishing its own united federation of ISPs, and that’s an impressive start.