Columbus, Ohio-based CompuServe Inc’s UK operation is wooing British users with the promise of faster access to its services and enhanced graphical menus. The company has announced that, from the beginning of this month, customers with 28.8Mbps modems will have access to its services at this higher speed through its London communications site. This will double its current access rate at no extra charge to its members, said the firm. The upgrade is part of a promise by the company to deliver 28.8Kbps access on all sites by May 1996, with ISDN access in eight major European cities, including London, by Christmas this year. CompuServe is also planning a two-to-three times expansion in the number of dial-up ports by next year. The company has also announced that users will henceforth have the option to access with one mouse click some of the most popular UK areas on CompuServe from new icons. Alongside the existing contents listing, members will click on an icon that takes them straight to the desired area, it said. These new menu icons have been structured to minimise the time taken to download them, which is a once-only process, it says. Meantime Tucson, Arizona-based Artisoft Inc has announced that CompuServe will provide the Internet access software throughout Europe for its LANtastic Power Suite (CI No 2,654). Effective immediately, the LANtastic Power Suite will now ship with a CompuServe CD-ROM, including 10 hours’ free use of the Internet, said Artisoft. For Power Suite users without a CD-ROM, CompuServe floppies are also available. The company adds that LANtastic Internet access upgrades will be free to existing Power Suite users.
