British high-street stores are finding that the Internet is a great way of attracting customers and two more major chains announced this week that they were to provide free Net access.
Bookstore Waterstone's and music giant HMV have joined forces with global Internet company Yahoo! to become an Internet service provider (ISP), giving free Internet access with phone calls charged at local rates.
The trend for free ISPs was set last year with the launch of Dixon's Freeserve which has shot straight to the top of the Internet market, gaining more than one million users in a matter of months.
The benefits of providing the online service lie in the phone call charges, which are split between the ISP and the telecoms service - in this case British Telecom.
Music and books have been the two biggest sellers on the Internet since e-commerce began, with Amazon.com proving extremely successful.
General manager of HMV Direct, Mr Stuart Rowe, said: "By teaming up with Yahoo! we have become the first music-aligned Internet service provider in the world.
"This means that customers using this service will have immediate access to the kind of news, offers and information they specifically require."
Both follow similar models to the other free ISPs, offering free e-mail addresses, web space and a helpline charged at 50p per minute.
Both will be launched on March 29th and are enticing consumers with cheap deals on music and books.
