Thus, which bought Demon Internet in 1998, has never really known what to do with the venerable internet service provider. Demon were one of the first ISPs in the UK, and many early internet users have fond memories of Turnpike configurations and text-based communities.

This legacy has meant an IT infrastructure which is organic rather than architected, and as a result has never been well integrated with systems at Thus, which should make the company easier to sell.

Only the personal customers will be sold off, about 50K of them according to a report in the Daily Telegraph, which also quotes the value of the company at between £15 and £20 million, Thus will hang on to the corporate customers it might be able to make more money out of.

Thus is officially saying nothing, while unofficially denying everything, but staff have known about the forthcoming sale since the beginning of the week and are sanguine about the fate of the company.

AOLs UK customers went for nearly 200 quid each to Carphone Warehouse, but the top-end price quoted for Demon rates their users as worth double that. Is a Demon customer worth twice their AOL equivalent? It seems unlikely, and Thus might have to settle for less. ®

Related stories

• Thus passes to C&W (1 September 2008)
• Thus results paint rosier picture (21 May 2007)
• Thus turns a profit (20 November 2006)
• Carphone Warehouse posts strong results (2 November 2006)
• AOL UK finds a home in Carphone Warehouse (11 October 2006)
• Demon hosting back online (3 October 2006)
• UK telcos challenge 'next generation networks' trademark (26 June 2006)
• Broadband numbers grow at Demon (19 June 2006)
• Thus group sells off Dutch Demon (5 June 2006)
• Demon 'forgets' to bill customer for four years (31 March 2006)
• Thus integration going to plan (30 March 2006)