Thus bundles dial-up with broadband

Internet service provider Thus is bundling dial-up accounts with its broadband package for smaller companies.

The Demon Dial Companion for Broadband service allows small businesses which currently subscribe to dial-up accounts for each of their employees to switch to a single primary broadband connection backed up by multiple subscription-free dial-up accounts.

Thus said its research had shown that small companies are keen to keep dial-up in case of a service outage, and for employees working from home or travelling.

There is no set-up fee for the service, which allows up to 10 concurrent dial-up connections for each Demon Broadband account.

Users will have to pay the dial-up costs, which will vary depending on the telecoms provider used to provide the connection.

But Ian Fogg, broadband analyst at market watcher Jupiter, told vnunet.com that he doubted whether the service would be enough to tempt small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), because of the growing availability of wireless internet connections.

"Thus has come to this relatively late - it would have been far more useful for SMEs a couple of years ago. The importance of remote dial-up access is falling with the growth of Wi-Fi," he said.

"People still want fast access to the internet or email if on business, and the broadband experience on the move is a much better experience. Also many are staying in hotels and won't want to pay exorbitant hotel telephone charges."