BT jumps onto bandwagon for internet access

British Telecom has launched its pay-as-you-go internet service into a turbulent market still reeling from the Dixons Freeserve entry.

BT Click Plus, which was announced earlier in the year (PC Dealer, 17 June), will be charged at 1p per minute on top of the cost of the phone call. There will also be a 50p-per-minute charge for technical support.

Click Plus will be partnered by the portal Talk21, offering free email addresses. BT expects the service to attract four million customers by the year 2000.

John Swingewood, director of BT's Internet and Multimedia Services, said: 'We want to help Britain be an online society. This is an easy-to-use service from a brand people trust. It will help educate people about the internet.'

He added that once customers had learnt about the internet through Click Plus they would move on to an ISP.

On the threat of Dixons, Swingewood said: 'It's about choice. Consumers have a much larger choice than a month ago.'

A BT spokesman conceded that the timing was unfortunate, coming so soon after the launch of Dixons Freeserve (PC Dealer, 30 September). 'Inevitably, we'll get a lot of head-to-head comparisons with Dixons, but this is a young industry with room for both,' he claimed.

BT will also expand options to pick up email, with the introduction of 1,000 multimedia phone boxes by the end of December and the further option of using British Interactive Broadcasting.

Christopher Ellis, BT channel marketing manager, said: 'We are looking for business partners for this. We've already agreed Compaq will pre-load Click Plus on all Presarios. We are looking at the indirect channel, especially at promoting it through retail.'