AOL UK pulls plug on "free" Netscape Online
Posted by me101 on 11 September 2001 - 11:37 · no comments & 625 views
About the Author
Full name: Unknown
Forum name:
me101
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Full name: Unknown
Forum name:
me101Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Slashdot It!
Submit to reddit
Submit to blinklist
Bookmark on del.icio.us
Add to furl
Share on Facebook
Add to Windows Live
Add to Google
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".
Secrets and spies
Games-wise, it's anticipated HomeStation will play both PC and Xbox titles. Indeed, Microsoft's Xbox will pave the way by establishing Microsoft as a home entertainment brand. But with the Xbox launch gearing up for a showdown with the PS2, Microsoft is keeping HomeStation under wraps. One source close to Redmond was shocked when PCFormat asked about the HomeStation: "I can't say a thing. Listen, the thing is, Microsoft is sidestepping this so as not to distract from the Xbox. It's really hush hush hush - I don't know where you heard this!" Well, heard it we have. And we've had people from Microsoft, Intel, AMD and nVIDIA all alluding to the HomeStation, but refusing to 'fess up on the record. When pressed, Microsoft's Senior Vice President (Games Division) Robert J Bach insisted, "This has nothing to do with me." One flustered Microsoft analyst stumbled: "I haven't heard of HomeStation, but I know that Angela has." And an insider at a potential partner said, "It's no secret to anyone in this industry. The first thing people say is you're not even supposed to know about it, let alone its name."
.NET profit
HomeStation is critical for Microsoft, which is keen to free its corporate anchor from the PC. With the market approaching saturation, the firm is suffering diminishing returns on each version of Windows, and is looking towards the living room for growth. More significant is the role the HomeStation will play in Microsoft's internet vision. The broadband device puts the company's .NET strategy into your front room. "They'll sell it cheap, with the revenues coming from online services and profiling," revealed one source. "What's the pressure to push people into buying this? It's convergence - video on demand, software rental, games rental and music." All of which is already on the cards with Microsoft's WebTV service in the US and its 24 per cent stake in Telewest, whose Blueyonder broadband network serves 4.9 million UK homes.
Because HomeStation will function through a Microsoft gateway, the device will be poised to profile the activities of its users straight back to Microsoft. Information is power and, as advertising becomes increasingly targeted, it's a fast track to big bucks.
The device's launch is heavily dependant on broadband becoming widely available, but you can expect the HomeStation marketing machine to be gearing up by this time next year.