Sounds like BLS will be going head to head with ATHM around here. Bell South covers a very large area, and has been going after the internet user for some time. It looks like BLS has become a player.
>>>>>>> BellSouth Teams with MyWay.com to Launch Next Generation Internet Portal
BellSouth and CMGI Company to Launch Broadband and Wireless Portal as Part of Expanded Internet Strategy
ATLANTA and ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1999-- BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS) and MyWay.com Corporation, a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI), today announced a strategic alliance that will allow BellSouth's 700,000 Internet customers to personalize their online experience with the ease of a single mouse click.
The partnership brings together the Southeast's fastest growing Internet provider, BellSouth, with the best-in-class capabilities of MyWay.com, to create a next generation portal that will allow users to enhance their Internet experience by customizing the content and applications they access.
Unique to the alliance is that BellSouth customers will be able to access their personalized portals not only through traditional dial-up, but also broadband and wireless connections, including interactive pagers, wireless phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In return for distribution of MyWay.com's services, BellSouth will participate in advertising and commerce revenues, as well as receive a minority equity stake in MyWay.com.
"This strategic alliance with BellSouth validates MyWay.com's technology, market strategy, and business model," said David Wetherell, chairman and CEO of CMGI. "BellSouth's impressive growth in the Internet marketplace will help drive widespread adoption of the MyWay.com service, and the partnership will enable MyWay.com to develop new offerings, including services that leverage BellSouth's wireless and broadband assets."
"The Internet is all about finding the kind of information that's important to you as an individual," said Bill Smith, chief technology officer (CTO) for BellSouth. "This agreement with MyWay.com allows BellSouth to leverage the Internet's true power by delivering unique, personalized digital content to our 700,000 customers, while participating in future revenue opportunities."
The basic Internet portal service is scheduled to go live January 2000. This site will allow users to access content, engage in commerce, communicate with others, and conduct business with BellSouth directly. The new site will also provide users with quick and easy access to a range of BellSouth services, including the company's online yellow pages.
"The BellSouth-MyWay portal will bring user enjoyment and productivity to new heights," said Jeff Cunningham, president and CEO of MyWay.com, "by providing the most localized news and entertainment listings, online special interest communities, real-time stock quotes, intuitive personal organizers synchronized with popular office applications, integrated into the most personalized portal experience on the Web today."
"This agreement with BellSouth will strengthen MyWay.com's move into the emerging marketplace for high-speed and wireless Internet services," continued Cunningham. "We expect to bring to broadband and wireless users an entirely unique set of portal functionality, integrated content and personalization."
MyWay.com aggregates content from more than 65 leading information partners including AccuWeather, The New York Times, TheStreet.com, and ZDNet, making it one of the most content-rich sites on the Web. The portal also features best-of-breed CMGI offerings, including AltaVista search, CarParts.com commerce, and Engage profiling. Because MyWay.com features more CMGI-owned technologies and services than any other company, MyWay.com is positioned to remain at the leading-edge of Web-based offerings.
In addition, Bill Smith, CTO for BellSouth, said, "This initiative is part of BellSouth's ongoing Internet expansion designed to bring together communications applications, content and commerce at one destination place on the Internet. This is a case of two 'best of class' companies teaming up: BellSouth and its Internet service, recognized for providing world-class customer service, and CMGI and MyWay.com, widely known as premier Internet companies. The ultimate winner will be our customers."
BellSouth will also have the potential to deliver a set of robust, flexible Web-enabled applications for its cellular telephone and interactive paging customers. Additionally, BellSouth with MyWay.com will integrate streaming video, commerce applications and other content specifically designed for its 7 million high-speed, FastAccessSM DSL-capable lines. These enhanced capabilities will be served through future wireless and broadband portal offerings of BellSouth-MyWay. The companies will release wireless and broadband portals by mid-year 2000.
Since its launch in 1996, BellSouth.net service has grown to become the Southeast's second-largest Internet service, with 700,000 subscribers throughout BellSouth's nine-state territory. Recognized as the fastest growing provider of Internet service in the Southeast, BellSouth currently offers a depth of consumer and business services - including dial-up, ISDN and ADSL access (currently available through BellSouth in 30 markets in the Southeast). BellSouth.net service is available in 64 markets, providing 80 percent of all BellSouth customers access to BellSouth.net through a local phone call or broadband connectivity. <<<<<<<< |
