NTL pulls the plug on CWC internet users

Thousands of Cable & Wireless Communications customers have just 44 days left to sort out alternative internet access before parent company NTL pulls the plug on them.

NTL has told customers it will be terminating CWC's consumer internet services on 30 November - 16 months after the £8.2bn buyout of its rival's home division. The company is encouraging users to move to its unmetered ntlworld cable service instead.

The move has angered many users who have been left searching for a new provider to support existing websites and email addresses. Many of those affected are unable to receive the replacement service from NTL because they live in the wrong part of the country or don't have the right connection.

The company said: "We have been communicating to the affected customers since August this year to inform them of the process of transferring to our dial-up internet service, ntlworld.

"Unfortunately we are not able to offer this service to customers who take a telephone service from another provider or have an NTL telephone service via an adapter."

One user, independent business development consultant Bob Garrow, received an email from NTL customer services last month informing him of the changes. The termination will force him to change the email and web addresses for his small business.

When Garrow contacted customer services the first response was: "We've got you listed as a business customer, you shouldn't have got this email. I'll need to check and phone back." But on the return call Garrow was told that all service to his account would indeed cease.

Garrow told silicon.com: "No forwarding, no contribution to changing stationery at short notice, nothing for destroying several years of search engine presence.

"I've been on the service for four years since Cable and Wireless phoned and offered RS Garrow Ltd a business service. We signed up and pay regularly."

In an email to its CWC customers, NTL gives users until the end of October to register for alternative services. The cable provider's customer services team then promise to make contact in "the New Year" to inform customers whether they can provide the required services or not.

The email states: "Unfortunately if your application is not successful, or you miss the deadline, the ntlworld offer will be closed and you will need to make alternative arrangements for your internet service from 30 November."

A spokeswoman for NTL was unable to tell silicon.com how many users were affected or how many had succeeded in signing up to alternative NTL services.