World Online, the Dutch-owned ISP, has 2.2 million customers, of which 1.5 million are in the UK, according to the FT. The other 700,000 customers are scattered over another 15 countries. Wouldn't it be more cost effective to concentrate on territories where it has significant market share? Especially considering the significant losses the company is racking up (79m euros in the red for its last quarter).

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Demon, the veteran ISP now owned by Thus, has 260,000 UK subscribers, 4.4 per cent less than last year, the FT also reveals.

Demon has avoided the temptation to go down the free ISP route, casting instead for small business and heavy home users willing to pay for "quality service" (it has a modem for every 12 subscribers, against a claimed 30 for Freeserve).

So the attrition rate is, under the circumstances, something for quiet celebration. Of course, there could still be plenty of inertia in the customer list - in other words, subscribers who are unwilling to pay for quality, but who haven't bothered switching their ISP. ®