German mail service moves towards online mail transport

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Bonn, Germany - German mail carrier Deutsche Post, one of the world's biggest postal companies, advanced Thursday its plans to collect letters electronically, then deliver them in paper form.

Post sought a clearance from government regulators to charge customers 46 cents (0.66 dollars) for each new-style letter.

Customers will send the mail via the internet to a post centre, where it will be printed, put in an envelope and delivered to offices or homes by traditional letter-carriers riding bicycles.

The price is less than the standard in Germany of 55 cents for a letter up to 20 grams in weight. The Networks Agency in Bonn supervises both rates to ensure Post does not abuse its market power.

A Post spokesman, Dirk Klasen, said the rate was less than for standard letters, because customers would be doing their own 'delivery' to post centres via a website.

The service may appeal to big companies such as insurers which need cheaper ways to do bulk mailing.

He termed the service a 'hybrid' one, since Post is also planning an all-electronic service where the letters will be delivered as e-mail.

Post says senders are likely to pay for that service because Post will be able to verify tamper-proof delivery if there is any legal dispute, whereas it is impossible to legally prove that the world's existing type of free e-mail has been delivered to an addressee.

The hybrid service is expected to launch this spring, with the all-electronic letters to follow in summer.