Update: This provider has shut down.
NextGenNews is a Usenet service provider headquartered in South Africa. This company is an independent provider with some unique services (like anonymous accounts). However, many people have said that this company engages in shady business practices — for example not providing refunds or responding to emails. Also, I’ve found their website navigation clunky and sometimes unavailable.
In regards to retention, the company doesn’t give a specific number of days, rather they say:
NextGenNews runs completely unique content expiring systems. Articles are no longer stored for a fixed amount of days as is the case with other providers, but rather expired when our servers require disk space. Once we have expired an article, we also have the ability to obtain it again, over and over ensuring that NextGenNews will deliver articles, as long as they exist in the big bad world of Usenet.
They also offer “anonymous” accounts — these are short term accounts (from 24 hours up to 96 hours). The costs is $3-$6 per account. The company explains how these accounts work:
Simply purchase the subscription of your choice, and you will receive a random username and password that will give you access to our servers. The anonymous packages are none refundable, and none rechargeable. Once the account has expired, it will cease to function, and should be disposed of. You will not receive access to the Customer Zone, VPN services, or any of the additional features that NextGenNews provides. We implemented these accounts for quick, effortless access to NextGenNews.
Link: NextGenNewsHeadquarters: South AfricaServer Locations: South AfricaRetention: varies (see explanation above)Connections: 30-40 (depends on account type)SSL Connections: YesDownload limit: UnlimitedMax. Speed: 2-80 Mbit/s (depends on account type)Price: $9 – $25 per month (for a yearly subscription)Payment Types: Credit cards, Paypal, instant ETF, Bitcoin.Trial Accounts: NoBlock Accounts: YesAccount sharing: No
By most accounts, they are a bit shady. That may be a reason to shy away from them for some folks. IMHO, I wouldn’t write them off if using block accounts. Their biggest advantage is their corporate entities are located in Panama and South Africa. It’s much more difficult to effect a DMCA take-down in those countries versus USA or Europe.
That said, there is some question about how they cull their content. As I said, they are a bit shady (“a bit” may be an understatement). YMMV. I’d only use block accounts with them personally, if I were to use them.