Mobile Hotmail Users Forced to Pay

Beginning December 3, Microsoft will charge an annual fee for MSN Mobile Hotmail, a service that lets users access e-mail on a mobile phone or handheld computer.

The change from a free to paid service is worldwide. In the U.S., the service will cost $19.99 per year if users sign up before November 25. After that, the price goes up to $24.99 per year.

International pricing varies by country, a Microsoft spokesperson said Friday.

There are 38 mobile phone operators in North America, Asia, and Europe that offer MSN Mobile Hotmail. Users can subscribe either directly with MSN or through their mobile operator, Microsoft said in a statement sent via e-mail.

Free to Fee

The move is part of Microsoft's efforts to make money out of its loss-making MSN business.

The for-pay premium services are meant to support popular free services such as MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger, the company said.

Another for-pay MSN service is MSN Extra Storage, which offers 10MB of extra space to store mail on Microsoft's e-mail service, as well as other features, for $19.95 per year.