Plusnet
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Internet, VoIP, Telephony, Digital television |
| Founded | 1997 (as Plusnet Technologies Ltd) |
| Headquarters | Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
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Key people
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Andrew Baker, Chief Executive |
| Products | Internet services Landline telephone services Digital television |
| Owner | BT Group |
| Website | www |
Plusnet plc is a British quad play internet service provider (ISP); providing broadband, landline, digital television and Mobile services. The company was founded in 1997 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and became a public limited company (plc) in July 2004 when it was floated on the Alternative Investment Market. On 30 January 2007, Plusnet was acquired by BT Group, but it continues to operate as a separate business. By December 2013, it had over 750,000 customers across the UK.
Plusnet also operates a number of additional businesses: the Metronet, Plusnet Hosting (formerly Pay As You Host), Just The Name and John Lewis Broadband in partnership with John Lewis.
Plusnet's origins go back to 1 February 1997, when Choice Peripherals, a PC computer-peripherals company launched Force9 Internet. Heavily involved in early Plusnet was founder of Choice Peripherals, Paul Cusack (Chairman), who later went on to create the hardware retailer Ebuyer, and Lee Strafford (Managing Director), who later went on to lead Plusnet through most of its development up to the sale to BT in January 2007.
The first Force9 Internet products followed the dial-up internet model popularised by Demon Internet (monthly subscription, plus the cost of local phone calls), but offered at a lower cost to subscribers (£6 a month + VAT), and including more value-added features. By October 1997, Force9 had achieved the milestone of 5,000 subscribers, assisted by a marketing partnership with Yorkshire Cable (later to become part of Telewest), in which Yorkshire Cable customers were offered a reduced subscription on a Force9 account. In addition, software which used Force9 Internet as the default ISP was supplied with every modem ordered through Choice Peripherals.
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