ntl offer 'almost free' Internet access

Communications giants ntl have responded to yesterday's AltaVista announcement by offering their own brand of free Internet access. They claim that they will be the first major company to launch a genuinely free service. Sounds good, eh? Let's look at the small print...

First, you'll need to become an ntl telephony customer. This involves buying an adaptor from them for £10, which plugs into your existing BT socket. All they ask is that you make a minimum of £10 of non-Internet calls per month, which you may as well do as they'll charge you £10 regardless. Still sounds like a good deal to us, though. However, it would be best to wait a few weeks yet before making your choice as the other major players will be joining the race too.

The service will be available from April 17 and you can pre-register today by filling out this form.