MSN has launched an ad campaign to steal any AOL sufers thinking of defecting after AOL's proposed price hike.

The Microsoft ISP has set aside $50 million to woo AOL users, and is offering them three free months of service, plus a guaranteed rate of $21.95 per month until January 2003.

All AOL customers in the US have to do is switch to MSN's unlimited access Net package by June 30.

The attempt to poach surfers from AOL follows the decision by the ISP, part of the media monster AOL Time Warner, to raise its monthly fee nine per cent to $23.90. The increase, its first for three years, will start in July.

MSN also claimed that, since AOL made the announcement about the price rise last week, MSN call centres have received 50 per cent more inquiries from potential customers wanting to leave AOL. ®

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