577:
29:
229:, which was set as the default page in the customers' web browsers upon installing the Freeserve connection software. BT sought to challenge Freeserve's business plan by arguing that under the regulatory model (known as Number Translation Services, or NTS), it should receive more money for each call, and in January 1999
306:
Originally
Freeserve accounts would be deactivated after ninety days if the dial-up number was not accessed (hence not generating any revenue for Orange). Customers would then receive an error message when trying to access their Freeserve email via another connection, but could reactivate the account
197:
Freeserve was one of the first of the UK's ISPs to dispense with the usual monthly subscription fee for
Internet access, and instead to collect a proportion of the standard telephone line charges. This made it more appealing and affordable to the masses and paved way for more people gaining internet
193:
who was an employee at Dixons at the time. He grew frustrated of not being able to get online without technical knowhow and so sought about a better way for PC owners to get online. Initially the concept was called
Channel 6 and was between Packard Bell and Planet Online. Packard Bell pulled out and
257:
Freeserve began to trial the emerging ADSL broadband service in early 2000. The original equipment supplied was a rack-type hard-wired modem and a separate router. A year later, the supplied end-user equipment was just a small USB-based modem, the
Thomson
673:
270:
After being bought by
Wanadoo in 2001, Freeserve first had its name changed to Wanadoo UK plc on 28 April 2004. Following a new rebranding exercise in June 2006, Freeserve and Wanadoo UK then formed part of the UK operation of
316:
In 2016 the service hosting the original
Freeserve personal webspace was deactivated, ending the anomaly of orphaned pages that could not be edited, the dial-up service allowing editing having ceased some years before.
677:
206:
lines.) With
Freeserve however each customer had 10 megabytes of webspace, and could split the email address into as many names as desired, using a simple extension of the normal email naming protocols
310:
Orange extended the deactivation period to 260 days in 2007 but under the new regime users' accounts and all email were deleted permanently from Orange's servers after a 30-day warning was issued.
225:
At the time, not having a standing charge for such a comprehensive service, especially the webspace, was a radical step. Further revenue was obtained from advertisements on
Freeserve's
243:
By
September 2000, Freeserve had more than two million active subscribers. This was vastly more than the incumbent telephone provider BT, something that was unique for a European ISP.
1035:
1025:
262:
330 (previously known as the
Speedtouch USB). Later, as Orange, they supplied a wireless ADSL modem router, the Orange-badged Siemens SE572, with one Ethernet port.
1040:
240:
in July 1999 (as Freeserve.com plc), at which point it had approximately 1.3 million subscribers and was valued at between £1.31 billion and £1.51 billion.
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In August 2007, Orange started a process to purge unused Freeserve accounts from its system.
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8:
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In early 2017 all email users were advised that the email service was also withdrawn.
847:
492:
179:
167:
48:
341:
295:. Orange's broadband service was then rebranded as EE Broadband on 30 October 2012.
128:, which was founded in 1998. At its height, the company became a constituent of the
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803:
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access in the UK. (At the time virtually all Internet access in the UK was by
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989:
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852:
818:
183:
175:
272:
158:, Orange Home UK was integrated as a service within EE's range of services.
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The account deactivation process ceased on 28 February 2012.
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to provide free Internet access to customers buying new home
171:
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Dixons (who resold their PCs) stepped in as joint partner.
1036:
Former internet service providers of the United Kingdom
541:
1026:
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
307:
before it was deleted by visiting the Orange website.
166:
The company was founded in 1998 as a project between
648:"Orange personal web space service - Closure Notice"
144:. Wanadoo rebranded over time and eventually became
1041:Telecommunications companies established in 1998
1007:
275:, and were known as Orange Home UK plc. In 2010
616:"Orange mounts sneaky Freeserve accounts purge"
578:Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name
136:group in 2001. It then became a subsidiary of
730:
233:announced that it would carry out a review.
512:SpeedTouch™330 Installation and Setup Guide
497:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
737:
723:
186:stores. The concept was the brainchild of
1016:1998 establishments in the United Kingdom
265:
16:Defunct British internet service provider
467:at 11:11, Tim Richardson 23 March 2000.
469:"The Register Guide to ADSL in Britain"
1008:
590:"Corporate Website | Deutsche Telekom"
140:, who owned a controlling interest in
718:
466:
448:from the original on 6 February 2006
422:from the original on 7 February 2006
370:from the original on 5 February 2006
674:"EE/Orange Email switch-off notice"
479:from the original on 3 October 2012
442:"French rival seals Freeserve deal"
13:
1021:Companies based in Hemel Hempstead
628:from the original on 9 August 2019
396:from the original on 13 March 2007
287:which was a joint venture between
14:
1052:
696:
596:from the original on 6 April 2013
364:"Freeserve rocks UK net industry"
27:
666:
640:
608:
582:
571:
298:
212:could subdivide into email for
897:Mastercare Commercial Services
744:
705:, 20 May 1999, Jim Mcclellan,
703:Getting on the net for nothing
516:
505:
460:
434:
408:
382:
356:
330:
1:
906:MicroWarehouse / MacWarehouse
528:wiki.debian.org - Debian Wiki
338:"Planet Online selects Cisco"
323:
390:"Freeserve gets a price tag"
246:Freeserve was bought by the
7:
254:in 2000 for £1.65 billion.
10:
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161:
132:, before merging into the
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416:"Freeserve losses double"
236:Freeserve floated on the
126:Internet service provider
111:
100:
78:
70:
62:
54:
43:
35:
26:
174:-based hosting provider
266:Successive rebrandings
995:Lord Kalms of Edgware
473:www.theregister.co.uk
980:Sir Charles Dunstone
150:Since the merger of
936:Prinz / Prinztronic
680:on 26 February 2017
654:on 30 November 2016
444:. 6 December 2000.
23:
765:Carphone Warehouse
344:on 28 October 2008
21:
1003:
1002:
971:(chief executive)
857:DSG International
119:
118:
22:Freeserve.com plc
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985:Sir John Collins
880:Hygena at Currys
823:Partmaster.co.uk
760:Advent Computers
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676:. Archived from
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650:. Archived from
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559:on 30 March 2004
555:. Archived from
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524:"Speedtouch 330"
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340:. Archived from
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289:Deutsche Telekom
168:Dixons Group plc
115:Internet service
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20:
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975:Sebastian James
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283:merged to form
268:
250:-owned company
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146:Orange Home UK.
105:Hemel Hempstead
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843:Currys Digital
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753:Current brands
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293:France Télécom
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248:France Télécom
200:dial-up access
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138:France Telecom
130:FTSE 100 Index
124:was a British
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990:Charles Kalms
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867:Electro World
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860:DSGi Business
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853:Dixons Travel
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836:Former brands
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176:Planet Online
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107:, England, UK
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47:Internet and
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969:Alex Baldock
945:Team Knowhow
871:
711:
707:The Guardian
706:
682:. Retrieved
678:the original
668:
656:. Retrieved
652:the original
642:
630:. Retrieved
621:The Register
619:
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598:. Retrieved
584:
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561:. Retrieved
557:the original
552:
543:
531:. Retrieved
527:
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481:. Retrieved
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450:. Retrieved
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398:. Retrieved
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372:. Retrieved
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346:. Retrieved
342:the original
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299:Deactivation
269:
256:
245:
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238:stock market
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121:
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101:Headquarters
86:
36:Company type
18:
926:Phone House
684:26 February
658:29 November
452:13 December
348:13 December
281:T-Mobile UK
1031:Currys plc
1010:Categories
965:(chairman)
956:Key people
894:Markantalo
814:Kotsovolos
799:Geek Squad
783:Elgiganten
746:Currys plc
563:19 October
533:19 October
324:References
260:SpeedTouch
188:Ajaz Ahmed
87:previously
872:Freeserve
827:Sandstrøm
809:ID Mobile
632:10 August
600:2 January
553:Freeserve
277:Orange UK
152:Orange UK
122:Freeserve
91:Orange UK
79:Successor
931:Pixmania
921:PC World
890:The Link
876:Freetalk
790:Gigantti
626:Archived
594:Archived
493:cite web
483:14 April
477:Archived
446:Archived
420:Archived
394:Archived
368:Archived
227:homepage
112:Products
74:Acquired
44:Industry
948:Unieuro
916:PC City
911:Miranda
863:Equanet
549:"Today"
426:30 June
400:30 June
374:30 June
252:Wanadoo
222:etc.).
162:History
142:Wanadoo
134:Wanadoo
95:Wanadoo
63:Defunct
55:Founded
941:Saisho
901:Matsui
848:Dixons
793:Lefdal
779:Elding
775:Elkjøp
770:Currys
273:Orange
184:Dixons
885:Inmac
819:Logik
231:Oftel
182:from
172:Leeds
154:into
804:Goji
787:Elko
686:2017
660:2016
634:2017
602:2013
565:2023
535:2023
499:link
485:2020
454:2008
428:2006
402:2006
376:2006
350:2008
291:and
279:and
217:and
202:via
170:and
71:Fate
66:2001
58:1998
191:BEM
180:PCs
1012::
624:.
618:.
592:.
551:.
526:.
495:}}
491:{{
475:.
471:.
418:.
392:.
366:.
285:EE
204:BT
156:EE
83:EE
738:e
731:t
724:v
688:.
662:.
636:.
604:.
567:.
537:.
501:)
487:.
456:.
430:.
404:.
378:.
352:.
207:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
