Netscape to expand Internet service - WSJ
NEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters) - Netscape Communications Corp is planning to expand its on-line service into a major Internet gateway, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday in its electronic edition.
The move to shift its recently launched Netcenter site to a broader ''portal'' site -- a combination of content, communications and community features plus Internet navigation tools -- could require Netscape to both compete and cooperate with other Internet companies, the paper said.
It will bring Netscape into more direct competition with many major Internet players, including Yahoo! Inc (YHOO - news), Excite Inc (XCIT - news), America Online Inc (AOL - news) and a similar new site that will soon be launched by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - news) called Start, the Journal said.
But how Netscape configures such a site might also include a single partnership or series of partnerships with some of those same competitors, the paper said.
The Mountain View, Calif., Internet software company is now in discussions with Yahoo, Excite, AOL, as well as search-engine companies such as Infoseek Corp (SEEK - news) and Lycos Inc (LCOS - news), about a wide range of options that include everything from simply selling them premium placement on the popular site to large-scale programming deals, the Journal said.
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