Broadband supplier
Telewest has announced that
it will launch an unmetered Internet access service for £10 ($16) per
month, starting February 14.
The new service, following fresh on the heels of BT’s recent unmetered access announcement, will be run in
conjunction with Microsoft Networks.
Five years ago it was Demon Internet that launched the “tenner-a-month”
service which effectively kick-started the Internet industry in the UK.
However, Demon’s service — along with all the so-called “free” services
that have since appeared — did not include the cost of the telephone
call.
The Telewest service, which will be called SurfUnlimited, involves no
telephone charges as it goes to the consumer via cable.
“SurfUnlimited will be an unbeatable Internet service that will remove
the cost concern stopping many people from surfing the Net whenever
they want and for as long as they want,” said Tony Illsley, chief
executive of Telewest Communications.
“Our high capacity broadband network makes us ideally placed to be first
to market in the delivery of high quality Internet services to the home
and the office.”
Internet Magazine, which runs continuous tests of all the major ISPs in
the UK, has twice chosen Telewest’s ‘Cable Internet’ as ISP of the Month.
Now, Cable Internet will be relaunched with a portal created jointly with
Microsoft Networks.
“It is the strength and speed of Telewest’s broadband infrastructure,
coupled with our close working relationship that have encouraged us
to co-develop a new portal for Telewest’s Cable Internet ISP,” said
Judy Gibbons, managing director of MSN, Microsoft’s online service.
The new service is aimed at individual consumers, but Telewest has
said that it also plans to launch an unlimited Internet access service
for the business market in the first three months of next year.