Netcom Introduces Internet Business Service

Netcom On-Line Communication Services Inc. said it began offering a new $24.95-a-month Internet business service last week, the first of a series of new products aimed at companies with one to 1,000 employees. The San Jose-based Internet service provider announced in December that it would move away from the $19.95-a-month flat-rate consumer service that it helped pioneer in favor of more profitable business services. The company plans to introduce a series of services priced between $24.95 and $2,000 a month during the current quarter. The lowest-priced service is aimed at individual professionals with their own businesses, said CEO David Garrison. Netcom shares rose $62.5 cents to close at $10.625 on Nasdaq.