UPS Offering Free 'Net Access

Looking to expand its electronic business to companies that don’t have regular operations online, United Parcel Service is offering customers free Internet connections to its shipping and information Web sites.

The service, called UPS OnLine World Link, will give UPS customers Internet access only to UPS sites. It will allow customers without full Internet access to place shipping orders and track shipments for no fee.

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The product was distributed on a CD-ROM for testing last week and is expected to be rolled out nationally early next year, said Steve Torbett, marketing director for electronic commerce at the package carrier.

Torbett would not say how much the company expects to spend to get customers online or how many companies are expected to take advantage of the offer. But he was confident that UPS will draw a substantial profit from the offer and that customers will save money.



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