Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2000/03/10/lineone_joins_free_everything_gang/

LineOne joins Free Everything gang

24/7 toll-free access and no subs

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 10th March 2000 16:54 GMT

LineOne has stepped forward this afternoon to become the latest e-outfit to offer toll-free and subscription free 24/7 access to the Net. Today's announcement was not really unexpected since LineOne was already offering limited toll-free Net access thanks to a deal with discount telco, Quip!. It began offering the service last December ahead of an official launch in January. The basis of this combined telephony and Internet model is much the same as the other players in the market. Revenue will come, in part, from telephony revenue, ecommerce and increased ad spend. The major condition of the offer is that users must spend at least £5 per month on normal telephone talk time with Quip!. Users will also have to splash-out £20 for a telephone dialler which will automatically route calls via Quip!. In return, users also receive discounted national and International voice calls. LineOne claims its offer is cheaper than AltaVista, ntl, and BT SurfTime. The full service goes live on 31 March. Ajay Chowdhury, MD of LineOne, told The Register this afternoon that this was the "best deal" around. "We brought the announcement forward -- but it was always clear that the market was going to go free," he said. ® Related stories AOL hits out at BT Freeserve in NTL's sights Blair hails NTL Free Everything ISP plans It's first come, first served: AltaVista AltaVista UK reveals Free Everything plans Telewest to offer unlimited Net access LineOne users to get free phone calls