Netscape and Qwest Unveil Plans For Next-Generation Internet Communications
PR Newswire - September 17, 1998 08:45
Companies Team Up To Provide Consumers With 'Netscape Contact' -A
Single Destination For Communications Services; Companies To Create
First Integrated Communications Center Within a Portal and a Browser
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and DENVER, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Netscape Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: NSCP) and Qwest Communications
International Inc. (Nasdaq: QWST) today announced a three-year strategic alliance to offer consumers one-stop access to a suite of easy-to-use leading
communications services, available through the Netscape Netcenter portal site. The multifaceted agreement combines Qwest's technologically advanced,
high-capacity fiber network and communications services with Netscape's leading Netcenter services, browser software and server software to create one of the
most compelling services for consumers around the world.
In addition, Netscape will utilize Qwest's nationwide Macro Capacity(SM) Fiber Network to enhance the performance and bandwidth of its Netscape Netcenter
Web site -- one of the largest on the Internet -- by directly connecting to the Qwest network at speeds up to 622 megabits per second. Qwest's advanced fiber
connectivity will make Netcenter one of the best equipped Web sites on the Internet to handle the increased traffic expected with this wide range of new
communication services. The companies also executed a reseller agreement that allows Qwest's commercial sales division to offer Netscape software applications to
its business customers.
Netscape will create a single service on Netcenter called 'Netscape Contact(SM)' where consumers can manage all of their telephone and Internet communications.
Netscape Contact will be available through Netcenter and will be integrated with Netscape's browser software. The agreement represents one of the most
comprehensive partnerings yet between an Internet portal site and a communications company and will provide consumers with new and dramatically easier ways to
manage every day communications. Long distance telephone calls, conference calls, faxing, email, Internet access, and combined voice and email in a single inbox
will be available from Netscape Contact which will serve as the 'home base' for a customer's ongoing communications needs.
"Netscape and Qwest share the same vision and will create a one-stop integrated service that puts control into the hands of customers to manage all of their
communications," said Jim Barksdale, president and chief executive officer at Netscape. "Our goal in combining the strengths of Netscape's Internet software and
Netcenter services with Qwest's leading multimedia services and sophisticated fiber optic network is to provide consumers around the world with easy access to
advanced, reliable and affordable global communications."
"Through the powerful combination of Netscape and Qwest -- two innovative, industry-leading companies - consumers now have a new, creative choice for
traditional and leading-edge communications services via the Web," said Joseph P. Nacchio, president and chief executive officer at Qwest Communications.
"Millions of people all over the world visit Netscape's Web site everyday, and with one of the most popular destinations on the Internet, Qwest has a unique
opportunity to offer customers an all-in-one communications solution that is convenient and simple to use."
The agreement is expected to provide Netscape and Qwest with significant customer acquisition and revenue sharing opportunities. For Netscape, the agreement
furthers Netscape's strategy of providing the best information and services for both consumer and business users through its Netcenter portal site. For Qwest, the
agreement will showcase the strength of Qwest's leading communications services and Macro Capacity Fiber Network to the millions of Internet users who visit
Netcenter each day.
By the end of September, consumers can begin using some of the services offered by Qwest and Netscape. Users can access 'Netscape Contact' by pointing their
browsers to Netcenter at home.netscape.com. Among the services that will be available over the next several months are:
Access Card and Long Distance Services
* Netscape and Qwest will offer a special, co-branded "Access Card" that provides customers with a self-service account to manage their billing, access services
and make calling card calls away from home. This single card and access code provides customers with a key to unlocking the number of communications services
on Netscape Contact. Customers will be able to sign up for these communications services easily via Netcenter and use the "Access Card" to manage their accounts
online. The account management capability will allow users to view their call detail; view their account status; sign up for calling plans and promotions; and settle their
balances via electronic bill payment.
* Netcenter members will have access to Qwest's long distance services allowing phone-to-phone calls from anywhere in the United States. Beginning today,
Netscape and Qwest will offer two programs for users. The first plan, designed for individuals, offers long distance rates at nine cents per minute any time, day or
night. Unlike plans that charge by the minute, Qwest's Exact Billing technology charges only for the number of seconds a customer spends actually engaged in a call.
The second calling plan is designed for frequent users with a heavier demand for phone services. Under this plan, residential customers pay only 5 cents a minute
with a $14.95 monthly fee. Customers that sign up on Netcenter today also enjoy a promotion where they will receive 330 minutes at one cent a minute. This
includes 240 minutes of holiday calling, 30 minutes of calling card services and 60 minutes of Home 800 services.
Netcenter Address Book
* At the heart of Netscape Contact, the Netcenter Address Book will help consumers stay organized by enabling them to manage their personal and business
contact information in one convenient place that can be accessed from any computer. This integral communications tool will leverage Netscape Contact to allow
users to send email, voice mail and fax with a click of a button. It will also be integrated with Netscape Communicator and Netcenter services such as WebMail, My
Netscape, Member Directory and White and Yellow Pages.
Netscape Netcenter Online by Qwest
* The first co-branded version of Netscape Netcenter will bundle Internet access provided by Qwest with Netscape Netcenter content and services. Netscape
Netcenter Online by Qwest will offer easy-to-use and competitively priced Internet access as well as a customized version of Netscape Communicator.
Advanced Communications Services
* Netscape and Qwest will offer services such as a "Call Center", which will enable customers to initiate and manage two-party or multi-party phone- to-phone
conference calls from a Web browser; and "Send Fax" which will allow users to send faxes via Netcenter without a fax machine. From a Web page, a user will be
able to type a message into a form and/or attach a file and then enter the fax number. When the user hits a submit button, the fax is routed automatically. A special
fax menu item will be added to Netscape Communicator in the next major version of the client software.
Unified Messaging
* This service will enable users to access their voicemail, email and faxes through a one-stop unified inbox from anywhere in the world. People who check their fax
machine, voicemail and email each day will be able to take advantage of this simplified approach through Netcenter. For example, those that prefer to receive their
messages through email, can receive voicemails and faxes through the same easy, user interface. Likewise, customers who prefer a telephone will be able to get their
voicemails, emails and faxes over the phone.
The first Netscape Contact services, are scheduled to be available by the end of the month, include the long distance offerings, the first version of the Netcenter
Address Book and existing Netcenter communication services. Netcenter will be enhanced continuously over the next several months with additional services
created through the Netscape and Qwest strategic alliance. In addition to the services provided by Qwest, the Netscape Contact will provide easy access to existing
Netcenter communications services including Netscape WebMail, Netcenter Member Directory, Instant Messenger, White and Yellow Pages and Professional
Connections.
The Qwest Macro Capacity(SM) Fiber Network
Qwest's planned domestic 18,449-mile network will serve over 130 cities, which represent approximately 80 percent of the data and voice traffic originating in the
United States, upon its scheduled completion in the second quarter of 1999. To date, approximately 8,850 miles of the Qwest
Macro Capacity Fiber Network are activated, and construction has commenced on 17,773 miles. Qwest's transcontinental segment extends from Los Angeles to
Sacramento and across to New York. Additionally, Qwest owns transatlantic submarine capacity linking the United States to Europe and will jointly own a
transpacific submarine cable system connecting the U.S. to the Pacific Rim. Qwest is also extending its network 1,400 miles into Mexico with completion slated for
late 1998.
The Qwest Macro Capacity Fiber network is designed with highly reliable and secure bi-directional, line switching OC-192 SONET ring architecture. Upon
completion, the network will offer a self-healing system that provides the ultimate security and reliability by allowing instantaneous rerouting in the event of a fiber cut.
About Netscape
Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of software and services for businesses that want to transform the way they create and keep customers
in the emerging Net Economy. The company offers a full line of enterprise software solutions, professional services, and a leading Internet portal to help companies
build, buy or outsource Internet applications that drive revenue growth, build customer loyalty, and create new levels of business efficiency. Traded on NASDAQ
under the symbol NSCP, Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.
About Qwest
Qwest Communications International Inc. (Nasdaq: QWST) is a multimedia communications company and one of the fastest growing companies in America today.
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Qwest has approximately 6,000 employees and over 80 sales offices worldwide. With its world-class data and multimedia
network, marketing expertise, and customer care and billing systems, Qwest is delivering high-quality data, video and voice connectivity securely and reliably to
customers around the world. Further information is available at www.qwest.net.
Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at home.netscape.com by sending email to info@netscape.com
or by calling 650/937-2555 (corporations) or 650/937-3777 (individuals).
Netscape, Netscape Navigator, Netscape Certificate Server, Netscape ONE, SuiteSpot and the Netscape N and Ship's Wheel logos are registered trademarks of
Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of
Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries. Other product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.
The Qwest logo is a registered trademark of Qwest Communications International Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries.
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