Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit may offer its full menu of services, including e-mail, free of charge to anyone with a high-speed Internet connection, The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. AOL could give up as much as $2 billion in subscription revenue if a g***** aimed at boosting the Internet service's advertising revenue goes ahead, the Journal said.

Under the plan, AOL would stop charging subscription fees for users with high-speed Internet access or a dial-up service from another provider, the newspaper said. Subscribers who have traditional "dial-up" Internet access through AOL would still have to pay their monthly fee, the Journal said.

AOL expects that 8 million of its existing dial-up customers would cancel their subscription to take advantage of the new offer. Nearly one-third of the company's customer base of 18.6 million in the first quarter already has high-speed access, it said.

Full story: Reuters