Features - Free Internet Access
You may or may not have heard about this relatively new idea but it is taking the Internet by storm as more
and more companies begin to offer free internet access.
How do they do it?
Usually when a company starts up, they are aiming to make hundreds of dollars directly. However, in the business
of free internet access, a profit is gained indirectly. Rather than offer its service for a yearly or even monthly fee, these providers
are taking a risk in offering free internet access in exchange for valuable demographic information and ad placement right on your
desktop. What could be better?
Then what are the cons?
Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily great, especially if you begin to rely on free internet access as your
primary connection. In many cases, the company could either go downhill in its services or it could lose a considerable amount
of money due to disinterest in the case of the advertisers. In this case, you're well... screwed.
Where can I get it?
Many internet service provider start-ups are beginning to offer this but for the time being, there are really
only two that can be classified as quick and reliable for the services you need. They are
NetZero and Altavista's FreeAccess. Both of these offer
up to 56K dial-up service in most areas and are paid for by a download that is required to be running as you using these services
on the Internet. Both of them are great but NetZero has been around for quite a while; however, Altavista's relatively new service
definitely looks promising.
What about its future?
As with any other emerging technology, free internet access has yet to show that it will be a factor on the
Internet in the coming years. However, given the great interest in this type of service by both netizens and advertisers, free
internet access may branch out to become a universal service provided for anyone in any part of the world.
R Smith
The XRS Network
Sunday October 31, 1999
« Return to Features