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By Tony Hallett, 7 December 1999 16:31

NEWS BT has finally given in to consumer and industry pressure by shifting its dial-up Net access pricing model away from metered call charging. After strong pressure from user groups, ISPs and IT vendors, BT has introduced Surftime - offering unmetered pricing at certain times of the day, reduced per minute rates at others, and even a £34.99 per month completely unmetered option. Bill Cockburn, BT UK group managing director, said in a statement: "BT Surftime is the most significant development for the Internet in the UK. It is the first time we have been able to tailor packages and we believe it is a huge step towards Internet for everyone while at the same time not disadvantaging those that use the telephone in the traditional way." AOL Europe, which has long criticised Internet call charges in the UK, gave the move a "cautious welcome", but said UK consumers will still pay too much. It also expressed concern that other telcos will not be able to match BT's pricing. An Oftel spokeswoman said the watchdog welcomes the proposals, and pointed out this is an offer from BT, and there may yet be price changes from its competitors. BT Surftime can be used with any ISP, and also on Home Highway and ISDN lines. Erol Ziya, co-founder and spokesman for the Campaign for Unmetered Telecoms (CUT), said: "We generally see this as very positive. There are still some unknowns, such as the costs to ISPs, but even though the price is too high, this is in the right ball park." BT Surftime will be available from spring next year, pending approval by Oftel, the telco said.