Freeserve is to unveil a new entry-level broadband service for just £17.99 a month as part of its much-publicised Wanadoo makeover.

According to insiders, the name change becomes official from this Wednesday when "Freserve" is airbrushed from history and replaced by Wanadoo - the name of its French parent.

As part of the rebranding - which has seen Freeserve running a series of ads featuring its "hippies" smartening themselves up - Wanadoo UK is to introduce a new entry-level product in the increasingly crowded entry-level marketplace.

According to information received by The Register, the 512k service - capped with a 2GB a month usage limit - is billed as being ideal for users who want high speed Net access but don't want to download a lot.

Importantly for Wanadoo UK, this sub-£20 product trumps BT's "Basic" broadband service on both price (£2 a month cheaper) and on the cap (BT Broadband Basic allows just 1GB a month).

Wanadoo UK is also offering "heavy" users a 512k service for £27.99 a month with 15GB a month limit. And its 1MB product costs £34.99 a month with 30GB a month cap.

Freeserve ended months of speculation recently by confirming that it had decided to adopt the name of its French parent, Wanadoo. ®

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