Juno announces High Speed Wireless Internet Access, powered by Ricochet, 2 months ahead of schedule....
financialnews.netscape.com
Juno Launches High-Speed Wireless Internet
Access Two Months Ahead of Schedule
07/25 05:15
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2000-- New
Ricochet-Powered Service Initially Available in San Diego and
Atlanta
Juno Online Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: JWEB), a leading Internet
access
provider, announced today that its new high-speed mobile wireless
Internet service, powered by Ricochet™, has begun operation two
months ahead of schedule.
Juno is offering the new service in San Diego through a partnership
with
Metricom, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCOM), a leading provider of mobile
data
networking and technology. Later this month, the service will also
become commercially available in Atlanta. The service, which
offers
speeds up to 128 Kbps, is part of Juno Express(SM), Juno's suite
of
high-speed Internet access options.
Metricom launched a multi-million-dollar brand awareness
campaign for
Ricochet yesterday in the initial two markets. Ricochet is currently
scheduled to expand into additional markets in September.
"Juno subscribers can now upgrade not only to high-speed Internet
access through DSL but to high-speed wireless Internet access as
well,"
said Charles Ardai, Juno's president and CEO. "We're excited to
be one
of the first national Internet access providers to make high-speed
wireless
access available and we are thrilled to be working with Metricom
to offer
this option to our users. We look forward to offering it to
subscribers
throughout the country as the Ricochet network expands."
Metricom's Ricochet service uses a network of microcell radios
that are
typically attached to streetlights or utility poles to deliver a mobile
information solution at more than twice the speed of a standard
56K
dial-up connection. Users simply attach a small wireless modem to
their
laptop; the Ricochet radio network will then detect and route
signals
coming from the laptop into its microcellular meshed network, and
then
out to the Internet. The service is currently priced at $79.95 per
month
after an initial charge for the Ricochet wireless modem.
Anyone interested in signing up for Juno Express powered by
Ricochet
should call toll-free (800) 501-4018.
About Juno
Juno Online Services, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet access
to
millions of computer users throughout the United States. Founded
in
1996, the company provides multiple levels of service, including
free
basic Internet access, billable premium dial-up service, and (in
certain
markets) high-speed broadband access. Juno's revenues are
derived
primarily from the subscription fees charged for its billable premium
services, from the sale of advertising, and from various forms of
electronic commerce.
Juno had more than 3.0 million active subscribers during the month
of
March, including more than 2.3 million active Web-enabled
subscribers
and approximately 0.7 million who were able to use only Juno's
original
e-mail service. Based on its total of 10 million registered subscriber
accounts, Juno is currently the second largest provider (after AOL)
of
dial-up Internet services; based on its 3.0 million active
subscribers, Juno
is the third largest, after AOL and EarthLink.
For more information about Juno, visit www.juno.com/corp. To
get a
free copy of the Juno software, go to www.juno.com or call (800)
TRY-JUNO.
Statements in this press release regarding Juno Online Services,
Inc. at
are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are
subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause such statements to differ
materially from actual future events or results. Any such
forward-looking
statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following factors,
among
others, could cause Juno's actual results to differ materially from
those
described in a forward-looking statement: limited history of offering
Juno's billable premium services and free basic service in its current
form;
history of losses; failure to retain or grow Juno's subscriber base;
increasing competition from existing or new competitors; inability
to
sustain current levels of subscriber acquisition or retention; failure
of free
Web-enabled subscribers to actually make use of the Web and/or
limited
levels of use by such subscribers; inability to successfully migrate
free
subscribers to, or to retain subscribers in, Juno's billable premium
services; increased telecommunications costs resulting from the
expansion
of Juno's free basic service; rapid technological change; possible
unavailability of financing as and if needed; decreases in the
popularity of
the Internet among consumers or as an advertising medium;
dependence
on a limited number of vendors, including without limitation
Metricom,
Inc. for the provision and roll-out of the Juno Express broadband
service; dependence on strategic marketing alliances as a source of
revenues; inability to achieve substantial telecommunication cost
reductions over time; possible industry consolidation; and potential
fluctuations in quarterly and annual results. This list is intended to
identify
only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results
to
differ. Readers are referred to the reports and documents filed by
Juno
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the
Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2000, for a discussion of
these and
other important risk factors. |
