Re: UKNM: Free ISPs Vs. Paying ISPs (Don't Mention Dixons)

[Steve Bowbrick]

Worth noting while we mull the death of BT Click that its model and

Freeserve's are identical - neither of them is actually free - the

difference is in the price of the call. With Oftel's blessing, BT *may* be

able to reduce their per minute price to bring it in line with Freeserve et

al in time. Meanwhile, BT Click has benefits - like not having to register

- which may bring in some punters.


As 'free' services proliferate we will presumably begin to forget that

there was ever a charge for access and the only differentiator will become

the per minute charge - BT Click representing the upper end, an 0800

ad-funded service the bottom and Freeserve the mid-priced Middle England

service.


Voila - an elegant continuum, running from genuinely free (freeserve isn't

free, YOU FOOLS!) to really rather expensive (but with lovely extra

features to justify the price) and, to boot, a much simpler marketplace

without the silly complication of contracting with *two* suppliers for home

net access (how funny that will seem when we're explaining it to our kids

in a few years - like getting Joe's Gas to put the pipe in and British Gas

to supply the smelly stuff).


s

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Steve Bowbrick                                    Webmedia Group

0171 292 5545                                       0468 257 570




http://www.webmedia.com/steve

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