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Technical News & Discussion => Broadband, Internet & General Computer News & Discussion => Topic started by: Technical Ben on Sep 10, 2013, 21:29:39

Title: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Technical Ben on Sep 10, 2013, 21:29:39
Just seen that even O2 have dropped their email service. Is it the end of the world and dog providing "free" email? I can understand getting it free from ISPS, not expecting that to be dropped soon. But it's rather interesting that a telephone company, that also provides internet is dropping such a service.

Cutting costs or a real drop in usage?
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Simon on Sep 10, 2013, 21:44:06
The announcement email was amusingly terse - along the lines of, "We gave you a free email address, but you've been using Google, Hotmail and Yahoo! instead, so we're closing it.  So there."
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Niall on Sep 10, 2013, 22:16:40
Quote from: Simon on Sep 10, 2013, 21:44:06
The announcement email was amusingly terse - along the lines of, "We gave you a free email address, but you've been using Google, Hotmail and Yahoo! instead, so we're closing it.  So there."

That would be the best closure email ever :D
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: mervl on Sep 10, 2013, 22:19:04
 ::) Anything to do with regulation, now I think data has to be kept for one, or is it two, years? I loose track now that rules and proposed rules (whether by the multiple law-making agencies we now suffer or or by overt or covert arm-twisting) appear like ghouls in the night. Running anything over the internet seems like driving a stagecoach along an eighteenth century highway.
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Simon on Sep 10, 2013, 22:25:25
This is what it actually said:

QuoteYour o2.co.uk email is closing

You know your o2.co.uk email account? We're sorry to tell you we're shutting it down.

Why?

We used to give all our customers a free o2.co.uk email account. Some people used it, but lots didn't - preferring to use other email services like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo!, instead. So, from 1 November 2013, all o2.co.uk email accounts will be closed. You won't be able to send or receive email using [username]@o2.co.uk after this date.

They then went on to say how to transfer contacts, etc, and finished with:

QuoteWe'll be in touch again before 1 November, just to remind you of what's happening.

Until then, we hope this won't cause too much inconvenience.

All the best

The O2 Team
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Niall on Sep 10, 2013, 22:54:37
I really hate the stupid date setting companies use now, it's so lazy. "1 November", could easily be seen by morons everywhere as "one November" and leave them wondering which November :D

What happened to "the 1st of November, 2013"? You know, using actual English to construct a sentence!
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Simon on Sep 10, 2013, 23:30:53
It's Americanisms creeping in.  Burglarized is another one.  ::)
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Gary on Sep 11, 2013, 08:58:13
O2 are really going down hill, then again I did hardly ever use my O2 email anyway.
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: pctech on Sep 11, 2013, 21:13:23
I guess they need to clear some server racks and vacate some data centre space that might be costing them money as how can you compete with the likes of Google and MS with unlimited storage and who are sinking billions into new data centre projects to house servers and storage as what most end users don't realise is that the storage arrays to accommodate all that content take up a lot of physical space (and power)
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Gary on Sep 12, 2013, 11:53:10
I'm sure Telefonica/O2 can afford it, its not like they are putting much effort into upgrading the network, and they didn't buy much in the way of 4G capacity either.  ;)
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: pctech on Sep 12, 2013, 18:09:23
Yep they can but they prob want to free up some space.

Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Broadback on Sep 18, 2013, 16:19:36
My step daughter took a job with them. Within a month she realised her mistake. She is now leaving and says that a lot of the staff are on the edge of a nervous breakdown. They expect far to much from their employees.
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: Technical Ben on Sep 18, 2013, 17:18:58
Signs of a company in trouble really. They tend to tighten the staff, thinking it boosts performance/profits/returns. When really it just helps fuel the crash (see banks etc for an example).
Title: Re: End of the era of... free email?
Post by: pctech on Sep 18, 2013, 20:21:02
I'm sure BT will be waiting to pick up the network again for a knock down price.