MSN escalates war with AOL

NEWS MSN is using new easy-switching software to win customers from AOL as the internet access war hots up. Gates' ISP business is inviting customers to close their AOL accounts using a new software tool called TrueSwitch. TrueSwitch is designed to take the pain out of the difficult process of taking customer data from an AOL mailbox, address book and calendar service and porting them over to the Microsoft system. MSN is also offering a range of other inducements, including lower fees, rebates and forwarding from mail accounts to induce AOL customers to switch. MSN doesn't have an internet access business in the UK, so it has no immediate plans to introduce TrueSwitch on this side of the Atlantic.