Yahoo! Inc is getting in on the current fad in the UK for per- minute billing for internet access in its first venture with a European ISP. The company is linking with British Telecommunications Plc to provide a co-branded version of BT’s forthcoming Click, pay-as-you-use service (06/11/98). The service, which charges BT telephone customers at the local call rate plus one pence a minute, will be available later this month in both BT- and co-branded versions. The Yahoo version naturally takes users straight to the company’s UK & Ireland site (yahoo.co.uk) which will also feature a link to BT Click as part of the deal. BT’s arch rival Cable & Wireless Plc recently launched a similar pay-per-minute service, but aimed it initially at its cable telephone customers. The BT version is for its regular phone customers and is added to their phone bills. Such an offering is workable in the UK, where local call rates are higher than in the US and are charged per minute. The BT service costs 2.5 pence per minute in the evening and five pence per minute in the daytime. Although BT claims that the service is suitable for all types of internet users, it is really aimed at people who want infrequent access to the internet, as heavy users would be better off paying a monthly fee.
