From: Kevin Dunleavy (kevind at domain iona.com)
Date: Wed 26 May 1999 - 13:40:24 IST
Vincent Cunniffe wrote:
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/990526-000011.html
Here it is...
BT axes call charges for Web access
The Register can exclusively reveal that BT is to offer toll-free
access
to the Internet.
Starting Saturday 5 June, anyone with a BTInternet account will not
have to pay a penny during the weekend for Internet access.
An operator at BT's Internet Services help desk told The Register
today: "Weekend calls for BTInternet customers will be free from 5
June.
"Each weekend it will start at midnight Friday night/Saturday morning
and run until midnight Sunday night/Monday morning. We were just told
yesterday about it."
It's not all good news though. BT Internet customers still have to pay
£11.75 a month for the subscription-based service.
But this will entitle them to 48 hours of free calls every week.
The change in BT's pricing structure is guaranteed to stir up a frenzy
of activity in the UK Internet industry.
Competition from the launch of screaming.net -- the subscription-free
service from Tempo and LocalTel, which gives people toll-free
off-peak calls to the Net -- is thought to be one of the factors behind
BT's decision.
No one was available from BT to comment before going to press.
Only this week BT's Internet spokesman told The Register that BT
was not trialling 0800 number access calling newspaper reports that it
was as "pure speculation". ®
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