Dictionary of Computers - Freeserve

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

First free Internet Service Provider (ISP), launched in September 1998 by the UK high-street electrical store chain Dixons. Freeserve was an implementation of ISP Planet Online's Connect & Go generic service, provided in conjunction with its parent, energy and telecommunications company Energis. In December 2000, Freeserve was sold to Wanadoo, the biggest French ISP and an arm of France Telecom, for £1.6 billion. In 2000, Freeserve introduced a broadband ADSL service, and in 2002 a cable service in partnership with cable operator ntl. In 2006, Wanadoo was rebranded as Orange.

Freeserve soon became the UK's most popular ISP, and its business model was copied by many other European ISPs. The company encountered serious competition in 2000, however, when firms such as search engine company AltaVista and cable operator ntl introduced Internet access with no charge for telephone calls but, in some cases, a flat monthly or annual fee.

Black and white reflect the black and white communities and the harmony between them. Yellow represents the golden beaches. Blue stands for the sea. Effective date: 22 February 1979. >>