Fifty jobs are under threat at AOL UK following a decision to scrap its subscription-free ISP Netscape Online.

Staff were told yesterday of the possible cuts and won't know if their jobs are safe for another month or so.

AOL UK said it hoped to find jobs for those affected but could not rule out the possibility of redundancies.

The decision to scrap the Net access service, Netscape Online, comes as subscription-free access is being replaced by flat-fee unmetered services.

AOL UK decided that this model is no longer viable. However, the Netscape portal and browser are unaffected by decision.

Although no firm date has been set to scrap the Netscape Online ISP it's likely to be phased out sometime next year.

Other job cuts could come from AOL UK's technology and programming teams.

In a statement AOL UK said: "AOL UK will be gradually phasing out its pay-as-you-go Internet service, Netscape Online, in the months to come.

"Staff will either move across to the AOL service or will be selected for potential redundancy," it said.

AOL UK employs around 420 staff.

Last month AOL Inc binned 1,700 jobs in the US as part of cost-cutting measures. ®