Is the era of free email coming to an end?

a_unique_person · 17th September 2023, 09:09 PM

Australia is now seeing companies that provide free email for clients now dropping that product. Their email address will now be transferred to a company that charges for the service.

Telstra is now charging for email.

Google is going to start trimming and dropping old email accounts.

That's fair enough. The hardware and energy required to provide email is not getting any cheaper. (Unlike the good old days of falling hardware costs)

Most email is worthless junk that people can't be arsed cleaning up. Or has all these attachments that are a huge waste of space.

It used to be that email providers were collecting customers to act as a future source of revenue. Well, the future may have arrived.

So I guess it's one more cost the consumer will beat directly.

The Great Zaganza · 17th September 2023, 09:50 PM

as long as there are some free (or at least Freemium) ways of easy communication remain accessible to everyone it will be okay. IP services providers often offers their email services as part of the subscription.

But charges on email won't stop scammers.

but they will price out people who are trying to fight scammers in their own time on their own dime.

novaphile · 18th September 2023, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by a_unique_person

Australia is now seeing companies that provide free email for clients now dropping that product. Their email address will now be transferred to a company that charges for the service.

Telstra is now charging for email.

Google is going to start trimming and dropping old email accounts.

That's fair enough. The hardware and energy required to provide email is not getting any cheaper. (Unlike the good old days of falling hardware costs)

Most email is worthless junk that people can't be arsed cleaning up. Or has all these attachments that are a huge waste of space.

It used to be that email providers were collecting customers to act as a future source of revenue. Well, the future may have arrived.

So I guess it's one more cost the consumer will beat directly.

Just a minor correction. Email was never free from Australian providers.
It was part of the package that we paid for.

TPG group dropping email as 'non-core business' for an ISP is the most bone-headed move, and I'll be surprised if the Telecommunications Ombudsman doesn't have something to say about it.

(NB. TPG was bought by vodkaphone, and now sees mobile phones as 'core-business' and email as non-core)

Not sure if you're a whirlpool user, but customers are showing that they are pretty cheesed off about it. Especially those who have been paying for an 'email-only' account from TPG group.

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/90

Dabop · 23rd September 2023, 06:25 PM

I wonder how many like me never even used their ISP email???
(I have never considered an ISP email 'permanent' as I regularly changed ISP's, but I have been using the same email since 1998 (Yahoo) and despite many forums 'wanting' a 'proper' email, I simply don't use anything but my Yahoo one... (in that time, I have lost count of the number of different ISP's I have used lol), not to mention for a good while I was not on any ISP, but using 'mining site campsite hotspots' so during that time, my Yahoo (or other 'web based') one would have been my only option anyway...

17th September 2023, 09:09 PM	#1
a_unique_person Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Waiting for the pod bay door to open. Posts: 45,781	Is the era of free email coming to an end? Australia is now seeing companies that provide free email for clients now dropping that product. Their email address will now be transferred to a company that charges for the service. Telstra is now charging for email. Google is going to start trimming and dropping old email accounts. That's fair enough. The hardware and energy required to provide email is not getting any cheaper. (Unlike the good old days of falling hardware costs) Most email is worthless junk that people can't be arsed cleaning up. Or has all these attachments that are a huge waste of space. It used to be that email providers were collecting customers to act as a future source of revenue. Well, the future may have arrived. So I guess it's one more cost the consumer will beat directly.
	__________________ *Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.* Everything is possible, but not everything is probable. “Perception is real, but the truth is not.” - Imelda Marcos

17th September 2023, 09:50 PM	#2
The Great Zaganza Maledictorian Photo Contest Winner Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 20,803	as long as there are some free (or at least Freemium) ways of easy communication remain accessible to everyone it will be okay. IP services providers often offers their email services as part of the subscription. But charges on email won't stop scammers. but they will price out people who are trying to fight scammers in their own time on their own dime.
	__________________ “Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.”

18th September 2023, 04:05 PM	#3
novaphile Quester of Doglets Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sunny South Australia Posts: 5,657	Originally Posted by a_unique_person Australia is now seeing companies that provide free email for clients now dropping that product. Their email address will now be transferred to a company that charges for the service. Telstra is now charging for email. Google is going to start trimming and dropping old email accounts. That's fair enough. The hardware and energy required to provide email is not getting any cheaper. (Unlike the good old days of falling hardware costs) Most email is worthless junk that people can't be arsed cleaning up. Or has all these attachments that are a huge waste of space. It used to be that email providers were collecting customers to act as a future source of revenue. Well, the future may have arrived. So I guess it's one more cost the consumer will beat directly. Just a minor correction. Email was never free from Australian providers. It was part of the package that we paid for. TPG group dropping email as 'non-core business' for an ISP is the most bone-headed move, and I'll be surprised if the Telecommunications Ombudsman doesn't have something to say about it. (NB. TPG was bought by vodkaphone, and now sees mobile phones as 'core-business' and email as non-core) Not sure if you're a whirlpool user, but customers are showing that they are pretty cheesed off about it. Especially those who have been paying for an 'email-only' account from TPG group. https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/90
	__________________ We would be better, and braver, to engage in enquiry, rather than indulge in the idle fancy, that we already know -- Plato.

23rd September 2023, 06:25 PM	#4
Dabop Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2015 Location: Oz Posts: 1,021	I wonder how many like me never even used their ISP email??? (I have never considered an ISP email 'permanent' as I regularly changed ISP's, but I have been using the same email since 1998 (Yahoo) and despite many forums 'wanting' a 'proper' email, I simply don't use anything but my Yahoo one... (in that time, I have lost count of the number of different ISP's I have used lol), not to mention for a good while I was not on any ISP, but using 'mining site campsite hotspots' so during that time, my Yahoo (or other 'web based') one would have been my only option anyway...
	__________________ It's a kind of a strawman thing in that it's exactly a strawman thing. Loss Leader 'When you're born into this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you get a front row seat.' George Carlin