World Online: An ISP with Europe at its feet

'World' online it may not be, but 'Europe' online it certainly is, with operations in 15 nations across the continent. And while subscriber numbers of 2.4 million do not compare well with the mammoth 23 million AOL boasts, World Online does provide healthy competition to the likes of Compuserve (2.8 million).

Finally, it's worth mentioning the company's stickability. While AltaVista and co have given up trying to offer unmetered access in a UK market stymied by BT's per minute charges, World Online soldiers on. If this high-risk strategy pays off, it will gain the respect of the industry as well as the gratitude of its subscribers. This is a big if, however.

The downside in the World Online story is its lack of leadership position in any of the markets in which it competes. In the UK, for example, where user base is a respectable 1.4 million, World Online ranks only number five in the ISP hit list. And in terms of its consumer brand, it's no Freeserve.

This, then, is a snap shot of the company Italian ISP Tiscali has spent a month or more courting. Now that the acquisition is official Tiscali needs to build on the strengths World Online brings, while addressing the weaknesses soon.

A combined user base of 4.75 million gives the new company a strong base and makes it the second largest indigenous player in Europe behind Germany's T-Online.

Consolidation in the ISP market won't stop here and Tiscali-World Online will have to stay focused on its European proposition if it's not to become the subject of a bigger takeover come next year.