Microsoft will introduce a new version of its MSN Web browser later this year.For the first time, it will charge users who do not also subscribe to its internet-access services.

The beefed-up browser, MSN 8, is the latest consumer-oriented product to be unveiled by the software giant this week as it prepares to release a series of products aimed at extending its reach beyond the desk and personal computer.

Microsoft said the new browser would have a sleek design and an array of features to make it easier for users to manage e-mail, protect their PCs from viruses, handle digital photos and browse the Web.

It said it was the most fundamental revamp for its MSN set of services, which also includes internet access and a Web portal.

In a departure from previous practice, Microsoft said it would offer MSN 8 as a separate subscription to users who do not already use MSN internet access services.

The firm introduced the MSN browser as an alternative to its dominant Internet Explorer software, which will remain free.

Microsoft declined to say how much the subscription would cost, but charging consumers for a browser would be another significant break with the internet's "free" culture.

The new version of MSN comes at a time when most internet service providers are dealing with a slowdown in their dial-up subscriber bases and are focusing on providing high-speed services, which they hope will generate more revenue.

Market leader America Online, a unit of AOL Time Warner, is suffering from a sharp decline in advertising spending, slower-than-expected migration of its members to high-speed services and a brake on subscriber growth. - (Additional reporting by Reuters)