Euro online market set for massive expansion

Revenue from consumer online services in Europe is set to grow ninefold over the next five years, with UK companies currently offering some of the best value for money.

Figures in a report from management consultancy Datamonitor covering the European Internet and online access market show the $1.5 billion a year market is set to expand to $13.7 billion by 2001.

The report suggests that in addition to access charges, companies will be able to charge more for content.

Datamonitor also found huge fluctuations in charges for online service usage from country to country. Charges in the UK are five per cent less than the European average, while Austria charges 67 per cent more.

Each country's market is affected by factors such as compeition levels and socio-economic environments.

The report - The Future of Consumer Online and Internet Service Provision across Europe - Challenges for the Next Millennium is available from Datamonitor for #1,995.