Free Internet Access - No Annoying Ad Window
Update: Unfortunately, it looks like free Internet access without ad banners is going the way of the dinosaurs. At this time I am unaware of any of these other than regional services covering a small area that are still operational.
Avoiding free Internet access providers because you didn't want the hassle of those annoying ad banners obstructing your view? There are a few free access providers that don't use a desktop ad banner.
While the majority of free Internet access providers depend on a floating ad banner on your desktop for revenue, some services have a less intrusive revenue model. These services set your homepage to their site, and provide advertising or shopping opportunities which they hope you will use. You can find links to these sites here.
Among the banner-free providers are 1Nation Online, FreeWWWeb and Worldspy. FreeWWWeb has been offering free Internet access since 1996, but for the first three years or so there was a setup fee. Worldspy is primarily an online shopping site that has decided free Internet access is the best way to keep customers coming back. 1Nation Online is the newest free ISP of the three and is a portal and shopping site hybrid.
The banner-free services provide as much as, and in some cases more than, the big name banner supported services. This is pretty amazing. It would seem logical that services such as NetZero and AltaVista would be able to offer a higher level of service, but it isn't necessarily so. One possible explanation for this may be the amount of money spent for marketing and advertising by the ad supported services.
It seems that the ad banner supported services may be spending many more marketing dollars per loyal user than those free Internet services that don't use desktop ad banners. Services like NetZero and Freei.net are buying expensive television ad spots. I've never seen a TV ad or many ads of any kind for 1Nation Online, FreeWWWeb or Worldspy. Could it be that the later services are putting more of their money into providing Internet services?
Once a user gets setup with one of the free ISPs with no ad window, they are much more likely to keep them as their primary Internet access provider. Without the nuisance of an ad banner obscuring the desktop, these services seem more like a standard Internet service provider.
To try one of these services for yourself check out the links to Banner-Free Internet Access Services. If you would like to investigate other options you can visit the Banner Supported Free Internet Access Services. And for other free items and services you will want to browse the free stuff pages listed in the left column of this page.