By Tony Hallett, 27 September 1999 15:58
NEWS A day ahead of Freeserve's first crucial set of quarterly figures as a public company, Internet rival, AOL has announced flat-rate pricing for its online services. AOL UK will from tomorrow offer an 'off peak all the time' plan, whereby users paying £9.99 per month will only be charged 1p per minute for dial-up access. Those on the £4.95 for three hours per month plan will pay no call charges, as long as they stick to the basic 180 minutes. While still falling short of toll-free access for a set monthly fee - the US model - AOL reckons the move will mean its subscribers will spend more time online. A spokeswoman said: "We're still working with regulators to stop the clock on metered call pricing, but this is a move in the right direction." Meanwhile, Freeserve - whose high-profile subscription-free debut had a big impact on the growth of AOL's UK customer base - is offering users up to ten hours' free time online if they dial '162' before national and international calls, and bypass BT. Freeserve Time uses network services from the ISP's partner Energis/Planet Online, and users have to pay for calls monthly via direct debit.
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