Brazilian ISP cuts access fees to ward off AOL.

Brazil_s Universo Online (UOL), Latin America_s largest Internet provider, said it will offer a less-expensive access plan to compete with the arrival of America Online. UOL will charge 19.5 reais ($10.16) a month for unlimited Internet access in its new plan, down from 35 reais ($18.23) a month now. The company, which has 550,000 subscribers, also will offer 300 free hours of access for customers to try out its service, which has exclusive rights to some of Brazil_s most popular magazines. "This is not a temporary discount; we are really launching a new, affordable plan to access the Internet," Caio Tulio Costa, UOL_s general director, said in a statement. UOL_s rate cut could be the beginning of a price war among companies providing Internet access in Brazil. A price war could affect the bottom line of companies such as StarMedia Networks, Terra Networks and Zip.net, which rely to a great extent on revenue from access fees. AOL introduced its service in Brazil on Tuesday, vowing to attract 700,000 Brazilian clients by flooding the market with CD-ROMS offering 250 hours of free Internet access. The company said it will charge 35 reais ($18.23) a month for unlimited access.