NETZERO'S BACK: United Online Inc. will offer free wireless Internet service under its NetZero brand, which started the free dial-up phenomenon in 1998.
NO ADS: Users won't have to look at advertising. The free plan is a lure for customers with the hope of upselling them to paying plans.
BUT: Consumers will need to buy a $50 antenna stick that plugs into a laptop, or a $100 "mobile hotspot" that connects a Wi-Fi equipped device to the Internet. The free accounts are limited to 200 megabytes of data per month— enough for email and Web surfing, but little else.
