Summary

ONdigital announced the September 18, 2000 launch of ONnet, a service bringing full internet access to UK television viewers for £5 per month with no upfront costs. The service targeted the millions of Britons without home computers, offering a free cordless keyboard and net top box to existing and new ONdigital subscribers.

Source document circa 2000 preserved as-is

Tuesday, September 5, 2000

THE INTERNET ON YOUR TELEVISION FOR A FIVER A MONTH

FREE KEYBOARD. FREE NET BOX. FULL ACCESS

*From September 18th ONdigital brings the Internet to the television for the millions without a home computer in the UK.

*Full Internet access for £5 a month with ONnet

*No upfront costs. No Dish, No Cable, No PC.

Internet use in the UK is set to change forever with the launch of full affordable web access through the television later this month.

>From September 18 ONnet will be the answer for millions of Britons who have been kept offline by the huge cost of home computers or fear of new technology. It will be available to all new and existing ONdigital subscribers and will be backed by an £8 million advertising campaign.

Unlike those companies who have restricted their customers to a walled garden approach or even charged for use of the keyboard, with ONdigital what you see is what you get, full access to the internet for a fiver.

For £5 a month the ONnet package provides ONdigital subscribers with a free cordless keyboard, free net top box, video and voice grab email, picture-in-picture and a world of possibilities.

ONdigital has also struck a deal with BT so that their customers can surf for only 1p per minute at off-peak times and throughout the weekends and 2p per minute at all other times.

The paperback book sized net box reconfigures the web pages to make them look sharp and clear on the TV screen so users can surf from the comfort of their sofas without struggling to make out what is on the screen.

Stuart Prebble, ONdigital's Chief Executive, says: "For the millions of people who have been left behind or excluded by the Internet revolution, ONnet is the easiest way to get online. Why spend hundreds of pounds on a computer when you can access the Internet on the TV that already sits in your living room?

"From September 18 viewers will be able to switch from watching TV to the Internet and back again, clicking straight through from programmes and advertisements to connected websites thanks to revolutionary new technology developed by ONdigital that has huge potential benefits for users and advertisers alike.

"No need to shiver in front of a PC monitor in a cold spare room, now people will be able to surf the Web while relaxing on their sofas or beds.

"For those not comfortable with using computers ONnet is simple and easy to use and the new opportunities it offers irresistible. And it doesn't require spending hundreds of pounds on a PC any more; there's no charge for the box, no charge for the keyboard and just a fiver a month for the service.

"It will also make a substantial contribution to helping the Government deliver its vision of universal Internet access and Government services online by 2005.

Mike Godliman, Director, Verdict Research says: "Television, unlike PCs, is almost universal in UK households and is a more suitable platform than the PC for delivering interactive services to consumers. People are much more familiar and relaxed with television than with personal computers. They can buy goods as they watch their favourite programmes in their living room rather than having to go to a separate room where their PC is stationed.

"In fact we forecast that by 2005 there will be 14 million digital TV shoppers and one-third of all online shopping transactions will be through the TV, worth £4bn.

The first thing that users will see after signing up to the service is the ONnet portal (or home page) which carries sites from dozens of household names. But unlike some other digital TV interactive systems the portal is truly open, allowing viewers to surf the entire Web, if they wish.

The portal will guide users around the web, helping them to shop and bank in security, thanks to the ONnet box's state of the art encryption system. They can also check the news and weather, help the children with their homework and send and receive email to any email address in the world.

Parents will also be able to protect children from sites they do not want their children to see. The ONnet box allows a range of settings, covering language, sex and violence, amongst others. This system allows parents to set the levels of access they want for their children, while still leaving themselves with greater access.

ONnet will be available direct from ONdigital as well as through the ONdigital Internet site and through major electrical multiples and local electrical retailers. There will be no upfront costs. The ONnet box comes complete with a keyboard and all the necessary connections, as well as full setting up and operating instructions.

It will also be available prepaid, packaged with a ONdigital box for a one-off payment of £159, to cover the cost of subscription to six ONdigital primary channels and to ONnet, for 12 months.