Pick 'n Pay launches pre-paid Internet access

Comments GM for corporate marketing at Pick 'n Pay, Tessa Chamberlain, "Pick 'n Pay has a heritage of being passionate about the rights of its customers, and eazySurf will signify a revolution of the Internet industry in South Africa. eazySurf provides instant internet access which makes it more accessible, and, most importantly, it requires no fixed contract."

"It is essential that South African entrepreneurs, students and our youth in general are empowered by being exposed to the information age; eazySurf is the means by which a broader base can now have access to the Internet," she added.

Similar in concept to pre-paid cellular airtime, Pick 'n Pay eazySurf is inexpensive, immediate pre-paid Internet access without the normal 12- or 24-month contracts that Internet service providers demand. Independent research has indicated that within the cellular market over 90% of subscribers are pre-paid customers.

Aimed at low-income earners, infrequent 'netizens' or the entry level internet market, Pick 'n Pay eazySurf is offered in either Budget and Super surftime options in the form of vouchers, which can either be purchased at point of sale tills within Pick 'n Pay nationwide, or, alternatively, on the eazySurf website.

Access to a home computer is not a pre-requisite. With a Net.Box 3.6 consol, which is also available throughout Pick 'n Pay retails outlets, and a dial-up telephone line, access to the Internet is intended to be immediate and simple to use. The Net.Box contains an IR keyboard and remote, a printer port, a built-in answering and fax machine and is compatible with all television sets. Costs of telephone calls or connections are not included for these dial-up accounts.

The Budget surftime option enables users to surf daily between 12am and 7pm, while the Super surftime option provides full Internet access 24 hours a day. Both options include four email addresses, and vouchers are valid for a month. A national Customer Support desk is administered by iSURF.TV for online support and registration queries.