ATHM's free ISP service via 1stUp is kicking butt!:
Tuesday February 29, 2:40 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Excite@Home
Excite@Home's FreeLane(SM) Surpasses 500,000 Users in Record Time
FreeWorld Changes Name to FreeLane Later this Week Providing Consumers With Full-Suite of Internet Capabilities
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM - news), the leader in broadband, today announced that its free Internet access service, FreeLane(SM) has reached more than 500,000 users in six weeks, an early milestone for the company to achieve. Formerly known as FreeWorld, Excite FreeLane (FreeWorld will change its name later this week) aimed at providing a cost-effective solution for getting online, FreeLane powered by Excite continues its commitment allowing consumers to enjoy the benefits of the Internet. FreeLane is available to US and Canadian consumers at freelane.excite.com . The service is supported by technology from 1stUp.com, a leading provider of ad-supported Internet access and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI.
(Photo: newscom.com )
``By reaching over 500,000 user mark in such a short period of time, FreeLane powered by Excite.com is establishing itself as an innovator in the Internet access and personalization arena,' said Kirsten Hoefer, Excite@Home's senior network programming manager, strategic initiatives. ``Leveraging the full spectrum of our personalized content and audience reach of our portal with free Internet access, we are able to continue our commitment to customer loyalty among all divisions within the company.'
``It is this narrowband strength that supports our broadband leadership position because we can offer ISP users the @Home high-speed service,' said Vijay Krish, General Manager of FreeLane.
FreeLane Internet Access with Excite.com Personalization
With free dial-up service Excite.com consumers have a high-quality narrowband (up to 56K) connection with unrestricted access to the Internet and an easy-to-use entry point to the Web. FreeLane powered by Excite users are given a personalized FreeLane Start Page with information relevant to their interests, an e-mail account, a personal calendar, access to Excite.com's award-winning content and search, as well as easy links to shopping, news, and chat services. Links to all of these features are also available to users through 1stUp.com's persistent navigation bar that stays with them as they travel around the Web, making it easy to quickly link back to their favorite Excite.com products and services.
The personalized FreeLane Start Page can be used as a subscriber's home page. For subscribers who have personalized an Excite Start Page already, after their free ISP registration, which personalized information will be automatically updated for their new FreeLane powered by Excite service.
How to Get FreeLane
Excite@Home makes getting FreeLane powered by Excite very easy for users. After a short registration process, consumers will be given a local dial-up number for the service, with no fees for using the service. Consumers with an existing Internet connection and a PC can simply download the small FreeLane application immediately at freelane.excite.com . First-time Internet users can call 800-952-8772 to have a CD-ROM sent by mail. Once they have installed FreeLane powered by Excite, subscribers can choose to surf the Web using either a Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape browser. |
