Totally Free *UPDATE* (IC24)

Member Name: dizzy

Product:	IC24
Date:	03/01/01 (1167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 0800 connection, no subscription charges

Disadvantages: Can be difficult to get through at times but has become less of a problem recently

** UPDATE **

Alas IC24 have ended their 0800 evening service as the running costs were just too high to maintain. I, for one, am sad to see it go as it means that I have to pay to get on the internet now.

However, a few days ago, I did receive an email which said that they were looking into providing a subscription based 0800 service and would release details in the next few days. Until then, their fast 0845 service is still up and running although you have to pay to go online.

I will keep my review intact until they announce their subscription based 0800 service as I will hopefully join it and be able to update this review with more details.

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IC24 is an ISP which offers 0800 access to the internet each day from 8pm - midnight.

"So what" you may be saying "a lot of ISPs offer that".

Well, yes they do but what makes IC24 special is that you do not have to pay them a penny for it - no monthly or annual charges, no need to join BT Surftime, just free 0800 internet access.

You can either register on-line or via a free CD (available in various places such as Esso garages I believe). I personally registered online (www.ic24.net) and the whole process took no longer than 5-10 minutes.

Basically you register for standard access (this is access using a local rate dial-up number) and once you have joined up, you then can register for the free hours. In doing so, you are given an 0800 number to use during the appropriate times.

I have been an IC24 user now for about six months and I find it to be a good service. Many people complain about the lines being engaged - well, I have to admit that they are very busy but if you persevere, you do eventually get through usually within 10-15 attempts. This, I consider, to be not too bad seeing as you do not have to pay any subscription charges whatsoever.

Howev
er, what I have found that if you register with ICScotland.net - the Scottish division of IC24 - then you pretty much get through first time. And I'm not sure if you even have to be Scottish to take advantage of it (well it doesn't say so anyway!)

As for connection speeds? Well, I have a fairly ancient computer and modem and find that it always connects to IC24 at my maximum speed (28,800bps) thus making it as fast as my other ISPs. For those of you with faster modems, you may not get maximum speed but you should at least connect at 28,800bps.

The website itself is pretty standard with the usual mix of news, sport, weather forecasts and shopping links. There are also links to certain newspapers as they are in some way connected with the site (owned by the same company I think).

You are also given POP3 email although your email address consists of yourusername@IC24.net. Unfortunately your user-name is just a jumble of hard to remember numbers and letters. But you don’t have to use the email if you don’t want to. However, I have been reliably informed that they now offer email addresses with yourchoiceofname@ic24.net

Since I have been using IC24, the free time was "for a limited period only" but it always seems to be getting extended which is unusual as most other 0800 ISPs seem to be going bust. Currently the offer is on until the 6th May 2001 so even if you only use it for two weeks, it will still save you some money if you usually use an 0845 dial up number.

It may also be useful for those of you who have limited free time from your own ISP. Eg some people get 100 free hours per month and have to pay 1p per minute thereafter. You could use IC24 during the specified times free of charge and use your own ISP outwith this time.

As someone who recently lost 24/7 access due to a certain ISP not being able to continue the service, IC24 (specifically ICScotland) has been a life
saver for me as I am a poor student and can't afford big internet bills.

As with a lot of free providers, there is a cut off after one hour but I have found that sometimes they forget and I have been on-line for 1 hr 20mins before. I think that they have caught onto this since I first wrote the review as it hasn't happened since!

Sometimes they also forget to log you off at midnight as well. I won't say too much about this but sometimes you can manage to get some extra minutes if your hour time limit hasn't been reached by 12am.

I know that IC24 have been getting a lot of bad press about being unable to connect but, to be honest, in the past few months, this has been less of a problem for myself when I dial up through ICScotland and IC24 itself has improved as well.

So if you haven’t signed up already, then why not give it a go. You don’t have to use the 0845 number to be able to use the 0800 number so you have nothing to lose.

However, I use their 0845 dial up outwith the free time as they have to make their money somehow and if I use their dial-up occasionally then this will generate some revenue and perhaps they will keep extending their deadlines. I also have the ICScotland website as my start up page to at least generate some advert banner revenue as well for them - am I being nice (or just selfish in that I don't want to lose my free internet time???)

If you get an engaged tone then don't give up - just keep redialing. And if you get sick of the redial then it is not as if it has cost you anything except for 10 minutes of your time. However, if you get through even just for a few hours during the free offer in April/May, then you may save a few pounds on your phone bill.

And I expect that the free time will be extended beyond 6th May. Well fingers crossed anyway!

Incidentally, ICScotland were named number one consumer ISP at the recent ISPA UK I
nternet Industry Awards 2001 (the same awards that gave our very own dooyoo Best online consumer product/service award) so they must be doing something right.

They certainly get my vote!

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