AOL plays down flat-rate mail-shot

"It's a small, limited pricing test to just enough people so we can assess demand," said Karen Thomson, marketing director at AOL. "We would tool up extensively first, before we released [flat-rate pricing]." The mailer offers unlimited Internet access until January 30 for £14.95 a month, but only ran for around three weeks, said Thomson.

AOL can be contacted by telephone on 0800-279 1234.