Reg-Big problem NSCP has is in the international markets. They SUCK in that regard. I've just returned from 3 months in Colombia. Biggest complaint I heard about NSCP and why all ISP's use IE is no response from NSCP sales dept. I have also contacted NSCP on several occasions regarding Latin-American projects and got no response. I guess they are overwhelmed by US market and as a result they will miss the BIG international profits.
Here's a story about a French competitor.
PARIS, Nov 22 (Reuter) - Jet Multimedia (SBF:JTLG) aims to
take on both Netscape Communications (SBF:NSCP) and Microsoft
(NASDAQ:MSFT) and have its France Explorer browser become the French
standard instead of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer.
A spokeswoman for the small Lyon-based company said on
Friday that France Explorer would be distributed for free at the
start of 1997 and the programme would allow access to the
Internet, to existing multimedia servers as well as to France's
Minitel on-line database from a home personal computer.
She declined to give many details ahead of an official
launch of the programme by Jet Multimedia's founding chairman
Eric Peyre on December 12.
But the software programme, using a new France Telecom
(SBF:FTE) service for Internet access, could become a challenge
to existing Internet Access Providers. It could also impact
content providers in France such as AOL -- a joint-venture of
America Online (NYSE:AOL) and Bertelsmann (FSE:BTGG.G)-- CompuServe
(NASDAQ:CSRV) and smaller Infonie <INFO.LN> by drawing away new
customers.
France Telecom, which launched its own Wanadoo online
service in association with Havas (SBF:AGHP) in May and which uses
a French language version of the Microsoft Explorer, will in
January open a service that it calls "The Internet Kiosk."
These are special telephone numbers which give access to the
Internet using the France Telecom backbone telecommunications
infrastructure. These numbers can obtained by companies such as
Jet Multimedia and a caller will pay for use by duration.
France Telecom will charge the amount on the telephone bill
and will pay the service company a part of the money.
"Jet Multimedia is not aiming to make money on the software.
They want people to use their phonenumber and their existing
servers," the spokeswoman said.
The system of paying for the use of Internet time, instead
of paying a monthly subscription to an Internet Access Provider
for a fixed number of hours of usage, could be attractive to
people who are not great travellers in cyberspace.
These subscribers are currently served with subscriptions to
AOL, the cheapest at 49 francs per month, CompuServe,
Microsoft's MSN or Club Internet run by Hachette (SBF:LAGA).
Jet Multimedia was founded under the name Jet Lag in 1989
and specialises in electronic publishing and multimedia
technology. The company acquired telecommunication technology
specialist Computer Answer Line (CAL) in September.
Jet Multimedia raised 43 million francs in April when it was
listed on the small-cap market Second Marche at an issue price
of 400 francs.
The company, 64 percent owned by management among which
Peyre has 16 percent, had higher 1995 sales of 165 million
francs but its net profit slipped to 7.2 million francs from
12.5 million francs due to acquisitions.
The group is France's third-biggest telematic services
company -- offering database services via the Minitel -- after
Axime (SBF:SEGN) and Assistance Genie Logiciel (AGL).
On Friday, Jet Multimedia shares were trading 17 francs or
2.34 percent lower at 710 francs at midday while the blue-chip
CAC-40 index was down 1.9 percent.
The number of regular users of Internet in France is currently
estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000 people. |
