Vstream Preps Launch in Europe Backed by New European Incubator @viso
Vstream Joins Buy.com, E-LOAN, Interliant and MessageMedia as Premier Partners with Joint SOFTBANK/Vivendi Venture
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BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 1999--Vstream, the leader in Internet communications, announced today that @viso (Atviso), a joint venture of SOFTBANK and Vivendi, will fund and coordinate Vstream's expansion into the European Internet market.
''The market for Internet communications services is skyrocketing in Europe,'' said Paul Berberian, Vstream president and CEO. ''@viso, backed by the credibility of SOFTBANK and Vivendi, will allow us to bring our advanced Internet communication services to market quickly in order to garner an early lead in this rapidly expanding industry.''
Masayoshi Son, chairman of SOFTBANK Corp., said, ''Vstream's state-of-the-art conferencing and voice messaging systems make it a leader in the movement to global connectivity, and we see Vstream's timely entry into the European market as a harbinger of the change that Internet technologies will bring to the business communications sector.''
As part of the joint venture, @viso will provide Vstream with a full set of market access services, including identifying local competitors and potential partners, in order to accelerate Vstream's position in Europe. @viso will act as an incubator, providing capital, infrastructure and local support services, including strategic marketing, technical facilities and personnel resources.
About Vstream
Founded in April 1997, Vstream is a leading Internet communications provider. The company offers a suite of services, including live and on-demand Webcasting, audio/visual conferencing and voice-to-email services. The company's newest offering, Beep, is a free voice-to-email service that allows anyone to easily publish their voice on the Web and send it to any email address in the world by simply using their telephone. Vstream leverages streaming technologies developed by Microsoft Windows Media Technologies and RealNetworks RealPlayer. For more information, call 800-VSTREAM or visit vstream.com.
About @viso
Formed in July of this year, @viso (Atviso) is a joint venture between Vivendi and SOFTBANK, aimed at helping U.S. Internet companies gain rapid market entry into continental Europe. Its regional expertise and toolboxes of services -- including state-of-the-art technical facilities and marketing, legal, PR and recruitment services -- help businesses expand into new territory. Additional information about @viso can be found at www.atviso.com.
About Vivendi
With net sales of 39 billion euros (estimated for 1999) and 260,000 employees in over 100 countries, Vivendi is the world leader in environmental services and a major player in communications. Vivendi owns Cegetel, the largest French private telecommunications operator, Europe's leading pay-television company Canal+, and the publishing giant Havas.
About SOFTBANK Corp.
SOFTBANK Corp. has emerged as one of the world's leading Internet market forces. Through its ownership positions in more than 100 Internet companies and its unique Internet-zaibatsu management concept, it is able to create market synergies for its family of companies on a global scale. In Japan, its activities encompass distribution, publishing, Internet media platforms, a broad range of e-commerce businesses, and joint ventures with companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Yahoo!, NASDAQ, and many other market leaders. In the U.S., SOFTBANK is the largest shareholder in leading Internet companies, such as Yahoo!, E TRADE and ZDNet, and in Europe has established Internet joint ventures with News Corp. and Vivendi.
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Contact:
Vstream, Boulder
Anne Greenhaw, 303/928-2805
agreenhaw@vstream.com
or
Cunningham Communication Inc., Austin
Robert Keosheyan, 512/347-2339
rkeosheyan@ccipr.com
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