Times joins charging charge

The Times has announced that it will begin charging overseas users for access to its online content, and will extend the scope of its paid-for content to include law reports and a special World Cup section. The Times already charges for its crossword and archive, and requires registration to view any content, anywhere. The Times plans to use an interesting micropayment system via users' mobile phone bills. Some online publishers have expressed doubts over the accuracy of technology used to distinguish domestic from overseas readers. Meanwhile, Steve Outing continues to argue here that we need "some sort of central service that allows consumers to purchase "packages" of content access — so they aren't nickeled and dimed to death by individual paid sites."
(From Media Guardian)