Optus Internet is the first ISP in the market to offer an unlimited Internet access plan designed especially for small business.

Launched today, the offer is called yes@work and allows unlimited Internet access between 6am and 6pm Monday to Saturday for $19.95 per month for existing Optus small business customers and $24.95 per month for non-Optus customers.

Donna Lachance, Cable & Wireless Optus' Director Multimedia, said the new offer complements the recently launched 'web in a box' product and shows Optus Internet is a serious small business partner.

"Optus Internet is committed to partnering with small businesses and empowering them to take advantage of what is rapidly becoming the greatest marketplace in the world. With yes@work small businesses can go online - and stay online - from 6 in the morning until 6 at night, 6 days a week and that makes good business sense.

"Our research indicates that half of small businesses are Internet connected, 18% have a home page, 12% have e-commerce in place and a further 15% see the potential to use e-commerce within the next 12 months, which translates to over 200,000 small businesses using e-commerce within the year," said Ms Lachance.

"We also know that cost is a primary consideration for small businesses and many are caught in the dilemma of knowing that they should be 'keeping up' but are unable to spend to do so. yes@work eliminates the worry by offering real savings during the 12 hours of the day when small businesses want to get on the Net. In addition, yes@work is a controlled cost so small businesses can budget around it."

When small businesses sign up with yes@work they also receive five e-mail addresses plus a free test drive of MYOB accounting software.

yes@work builds on Optus Internet's 'web in a box'. Launched in October, the 'web in a box' ezimerchant product allows small businesses to get an e-commerce web site up and running quickly. Optus Internet also provides web hosting and web domain registration.

"Optus Internet is rapidly becoming a one stop shop for small business. Our offers are opening up real possibilities for small business to reach new markets by making it simple for them to establish a web presence and conduct e-commerce," said Ms Lachance.

To register for yes@work call 1300 300 012.

For more information contact:
Melissa Favero
Cable & Wireless Optus
Ph: 02 9342 5030