The following article is taken from NUA Internet Surveys, Mar, 2, 1998:
(also try the link to Boardwatch Magazine below for the latest information on ISPs).
The results of a recent survey published in Boardwatch Magazine shows that IBM Connect are still the most popular ISP with their customers.
This is despite recent criticism levied at IBM for proposing to introduce a 100 hour cap for users who paid an extra USD19.95 a month.
In the study 90 ISPs were assessed on the basis of call completion of telephone rates and dial-up times.
IBM Connect ranked number one, in second place was TEK Interactive Group, third was MCI, fourth was Micronet, fifth was MindSpring, sixth was GroundZerO, seventh was Fnet Corporation, eighth was TDSNET, ninth was Log on America and tenth was WebUSA.
Many of the ISPs cited increased time spent by users online as a significant factor in the need to raise prices for Internet access.
Meanwhile AOL who have arguably the largest chunk of the worlds Internet subscribers ranked in the two points below the average and were placed in the bottom third of the list. This is despite the fact that the company spent USD700 million last year on improving their services.
According to Jack Rickared, the editor of Boardwatch magazine, "Customer dissatisfaction with Internet service providers is growing and is beginning to dramatically increase churn rates as dial-up customers look for alternatives".
http://www.boardwatch.com/
http://www.ibm.com/