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Customers logging into the Ireland.com site are notified in a statement that the company will discontinue the free e-mail service. A cessation date for the free service is not listed but is expected to be some time in the next two months.
"As a result of recent research into our customers' needs and requirements, Ireland.com's free e-mail service shall soon be discontinued," the statement reads. "It will be immediately replaced by a premier, subscription-based service offering a significantly enhanced range of services including increased storage space, calendar facilities, instant notification alerts, instant messaging and a number of other functions. All existing users will be given one month's free access to our premier service."
Ireland.com said that existing customers will receive ample notification of the switch to a paid service and the company is accepting queries at
Ireland.com is also to discontinue the personalised television listing service, MyTV, which was set up in conjunction with Changing Worlds in September 2000. Ireland.com has said it will discontinue the service from September 30.
The service allows users to submit details about their favourite types of television programmes and then advises them about similar programmes which may be of interest to them, according to Mary Mangan chief operating officer for Ireland.com.
MyTV users were advised about the decision to discontinue the service in letters sent out on September 3, 2001. The letters thus effectively gave users 30 days notice about the move, added Mangan.
The move comes as part of Ireland.com upgrading its services and focusing on its core content areas.
"We have been reviewing the site," explained Mangan. "The Irish Times identifies mainly with business, jobs and so on. These are our core franchise area, and that is what our customers want. MyTV does not have any role within that."
However, it could be that the service could again play a role in Ireland.com's services at a later stage, she added.
Following the decision to discontinue MyTV, users have been advised to register with www.ptv.ie, an enhanced version of MyTV operated by Changing Worlds.
At present, MyTV has about 20,000 users, and Changing Worlds hopes that these will move across to PTV, said Changing Worlds Managing Director Barry Smyth.
Changing Worlds was established in 1999 to commercialise the ClixSmart personalisation engine developed as part of the research program at the Smart Media Institute at UCD.
The company now develops personalisation technologies for information and e-commerce services.
MyTV is at http://www.mytv.com and PTV is at http://www.ptv.ie
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