Users of the 'free' Netscape Online ISP will be forced to move to a subscription model when AOL pulls the plug
AOL UK has announced the closure of its pay-as-you go Internet Service Provider (ISP) Netscape Online, in order to focus on its more successful flat-rate service. The move is likely to affect people who use the Internet infrequently, for whom flat-rate services can work out more expensive.
Netscape Online was to be AOL's big foray into "free" Internet access in the UK, and was pitched against similar services such as that offered by FreeServe. But now the company has decided to phase out its subscription-free ISP, following a growing UK preference for unmetered services.
No end date has been set for Netscape Online, but AOL has promised that existing subscribers will be supported for several months to come. "We will not be pulling the plug immediately...we will not leave Netscape Online customers in the lurch," said Matt Peacock, director of corporate communications at AOL UK. AOL is currently exploring a number of unmetered access products to offer as an alternative.
AOL refused to confirm the number of Netscape Online customers that will be affected, but Peacock suggested that the service was "a very credible top ten free UK ISP".
News source: ZDNet News UK
