BT Tuesday announced that
it has more than halved the cost of low-speed permanent Internet
connectivity by introducing an entry level service named BTnet Start.
Designed to meet the needs of small companies, the new service
from the BTnet Services division
costs £2,995 (US$ 4,800) per year for a 64kbps link. BT calls it
“the first step into fixed Internet access.”
To entice businesses to sign up for the service, BT says it will
waive the normal £500 (US$ 800) connection fee until September, while
other benefits include the registration of a business domain name,
free e-mail addresses and full support during normal business hours.
Excluded are security options, POP3 mail, and a Usenet feed.
Prior to the introduction of BTnet Start, the cost of a permanent
Internet connection from BT was £6,600, (US$ 10,600) a sum that many
smaller businesses found prohibitive.
Recent surveys have shown
that while big U.K. corporations have embraced the Internet and
are using it successfully, smaller companies still lag behind.