Mirror Launches New Free Net Access Portal
The Mirror Group has today officially launched its new free internet access portal, ic24.net. The Mirror claims to have already received over 50,000 pre-registrations since the service was unveiled at the end of last month (see Mirror Group Announces New Media Division and Free ISP). Mirror also says that it had secured over £1 million worth of advertising revenue for ic24 before the launch was revealed.
Cable & Wireless has provided a £15 million investment in the portal and Microsoft is providing the operating platform. In terms of content, ic24 recently announced a deal with Books Online (BOL), Bertelsmann’s new e-commerce venture (see Mirror’s ic24 Announces Books On Line Deal); BT’s Wireplay offers gaming content and Moneyworld provides finance advice and information.
John Allwood, chief executive of Mirror Group, boasts that, “ic24 promises to set the standard by which others in this sector will be judged.”
However, Mirror launches ic24 just behind its newspaper rivals, the Sun and the Express. The Sun‘s CurrantBun.com launched at the beginning of the month (see News International Claim ‘Huge Success’ For CurrantBun) and the Express rolled out its free internet access service, Express Online, earlier in the week (see Express Joins Free Net Access Bandwagon).
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