Netscape Online is AOL free service

So Netscape is going to be the brand name for AOL Europe’s new free ISP service in the UK and Germany. AOL wanted to announce the deal Monday, but Der Spiegel got there first. The German news weekly says Netscape Online could be up and running as soon as August. And it says customer service will be free -- unlike FreeServe where punters are hand-held through premium rate lines. So can AOL Europe avoid cannibalising its 1.6 million German and British fee-paying subscribers? This would be a remarkable feat, considering how content-rich Netscape is these days. Does Netscape really want to become another MSN? Hasn’t it got enough on its plate already? Which telco(s) is AOL Europe teaming up with for the Free ISP service? We’ll have to wait-see till Monday.® See also: AOL scare gives Freeserve punters the jitters Papers got wrong end of the stick, says AOL