Yahoo! climbs into bed with BT

BT and Yahoo! are flexing their corporate muscles in the ISP marketplace to create pay-as-you-go access to the net via Yahoo!’s UK’s web site. With no monthly subscription or registration process, users of Yahoo! Click will simply be charged a penny a minute above their normal phone tariff for net access. The fee is added to their BT bill -- just like the telecom giant's existing Click scheme. Simplicity is being touted as one of the key reasons why some of the UK's 5.9 million web users will drop their existing ISPs in favour of this new service, although the comfort factor associated with dealing with two well-known brands is also likely to be just as attractive Fabiola Arredondo, Yahoo! Europe's managing director, said the new service offered value for money. However, the numbers simply don’t add up for anyone who uses the Net for more than ten or twelve hours a month. BT also confirmed that it was in talks with other companies to offer similar joint-branded Click services, but BT's director of internet and multimedia services, John Swingewood, refused to give any more details. The service will be available from the Yahoo! UK & Ireland web site from 30 November. ® Click for more stories Click for story index