Netopia and GeoCities Debut Small Business DSL Education Center
Netopia, GeoCities and NorthPoint Bring High-Speed Internet Access Capabilities to Small Businesses Through Comprehensive DSL Information Site
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 1999-- One key component to successfully operating a small business on the Internet is connection speed.
Question number one for business owners is what is the most cost-effective means to acquiring a broadband Internet connection? Today Netopia, Inc. (Nasdaq:NTPA - news), a market leader in providing Internet infrastructure to small growing businesses, answered this and other important questions when it launched the Netopia/GeoCities (Nasdaq:GCTY - news) Small Business DSL Education Center located at www.geocities.com/dsl and www.netopia.com/dslcenter.
The Small Business DSL Education Center is now available for free to GeoCities' 4 million ''Homesteaders'' (Web site owners) and more than 21 million unique monthly visitors. The center provides end users with clear and comprehensive information on the benefits of using Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) to gain high-speed Internet access.
In developing the Education Center, Netopia was aided by its partner, NorthPoint Communications (Nasdaq:NPNT - news), a data CLEC and a leading provider of DSL-based, high-speed Internet access. DSL (digital subscriber line) is a next generation, Internet connectivity technology that allows end users to transmit and receive data at high-speeds (up to 1.5 Mbps -- more than 25 times faster than today's fastest analog modems) over regular phone lines.
It is particularly attractive to small businesses as it provides them with enterprise-class, high bandwidth connections at a fraction of the cost of traditional T1. NorthPoint is the preferred DSL provider for the Netopia/GeoCities DSL program.
''Netopia's partnerships with leading DSL CLECs (e.g. NorthPoint), with leading vendors of DSL central site equipment (e.g. Copper Mountain), and with most of the leading DSL ISPs in North America, mean that we have a very comprehensive knowledge of DSL technology and of the DSL marketplace in general,'' said Alan Lefkof, president and CEO of Netopia, Inc. ''We look forward to sharing that knowledge with GeoCities' Homesteaders and visitors and offering them high-speed DSL services right off the Web.''
The Netopia/GeoCities Small Business DSL Education Center's content has been developed by a team that includes David Angell, author of DSL For Dummies, and DSL experts from Netopia and NorthPoint. The Center's goal is not only to provide small business owners with clearly-written, objective information on DSL Internet connectivity, but to ensure that that information responds to the practical concerns of those small business owners.
In addition to general information on DSL technology and the competitive benefits that it offers small businesses, visitors to the center receive step-by-step guidance on setting up a DSL service suited to their business needs. The ''How to Get DSL'' section of the site, for example, includes tips on choosing an ISP, instructions on how to prepare an office LAN for DSL connectivity, and information on the various kinds of available DSL networking and connectivity equipment.
In addition, the ''Growing with DSL'' section shows small business owners how they can use DSL technology to take advantage of new business tools such as Web site hosting, videoconferencing and Virtual Private Networking.
''High-speed Internet access is an important tool for any growing small business,'' stated Thomas R. Evans, president and CEO of GeoCities. ''Having a high-speed, 24-hour open connection to the Web enables small business to communicate and conduct business on 'Internet time,' not standard time. The Netopia/GeoCities DSL center is designed to educate small businesses about the advantages of high-speed Internet access and to provide them with a turn-key solution to get up and running online fast.''
About DSL Internet Connectivity
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technology enables high-speed, digital transmission of data over regular telephone lines. DSL enables ''always-on'' high speed Internet access and is now available in most business locations. DSL Internet connections provide transmission speeds more than 25 times faster than today's fastest analog modems, yet are 40-60 percent less expensive per month than T1 connections.
According to the Yankee Group, the number of small and medium-sized businesses using DSL will increase 115 percent annually between 1998 and 2002, with up to 1.44 million business customers expected to be DSL subscribers by 2002.
Netopia's Technology Partnership With Copper Mountain Networks
Netopia's DSL technology was developed in partnership with Copper Mountain Networks (Nasdaq:CMTN - news), a leading manufacturer of DSL concentrators. Netopia DSL products (the R7100-C and R3100-I Routers, the D7100 CSU/DSU/Filtering Bridge, and the M7100 Modem) are fully integrated with Copper Mountain's CopperEdge(TM) DSL Concentrator and CopperView(TM) Network Management System.
This integration allows carriers to configure Netopia DSL products remotely from the network operations center, to monitor their performance, and to upgrade their firmware automatically from the CopperEdge DSL Concentrator, thus ensuring that the end user receives optimized DSL service. Because Netopia DSL products utilize Copper Mountain's CopperThrottle(TM) technology, they can easily be scaled to meet the changing bandwidth needs of a growing business.
If more bandwidth is required by the DSL user, the carrier can upgrade line speed remotely at the touch of a button, and Netopia DSL products at the customer site are automatically reconfigured at the new access speed.
About Netopia, Inc.
Netopia, Inc. is a market leader in providing small, growing businesses with their Internet presence, including high speed DSL Internet connectivity solutions and new generation Web site services. Netopia's innovative products and unique customer support provide users with ''What the Internet Experience Should Be.''
The company has been successful in helping millions of Internet and intranet users increase their productivity. With its Netopia Virtual Office platform, Netopia has established Web site services with Netscape NetCenter, Intuit (Nasdaq:INTU - news), Concentric Network (Nasdaq:CNCX - news) and Network Associates (Nasdaq:NETA - news). With its Netopia Internet Router family, Netopia has established strategic partnerships with hundreds of ISPs including France Telecom (NYSE:FTE - news), Bell Atlantic (NYSE:BEL - news), Concentric Network (Nasdaq:CNCX - news), Earthlink (Nasdaq:ELNK - news), PSINet (Nasdaq:PSIX - news), Telecom Italia (NYSE:TI - news), Verio and UUNet (Nasdaq:WCOM - news).
Headquartered in Alameda, Netopia's common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol ''NTPA.'' Further information about the company can be obtained via phone 510/814-5100, fax 510/814-5021 or Internet at www.netopia.com.
About NorthPoint Communications
NorthPoint is a national, facilities-based provider of high speed, local data network services. NorthPoint's networks use digital subscriber line, or DSL, technology to transport data at guaranteed speeds up to 25 times faster than common dial-up modems. NorthPoint markets its network and data transport services to Internet service providers, broadband data service providers, and long-distance and local telephone companies.
The company is currently providing services in 17 metropolitan areas in the United States and intends to offer service in a total of 28 metropolitan areas by the end of this year. The company has obtained required regulatory approvals to offer services in each of those markets. Additional information on services can be found at www.northpointdsl.com.
About GeoCities
Based in Marina del Rey, with offices in New York and San Francisco, GeoCities is the world's largest and one of the fastest-growing communities of personal Web sites on the Internet. Four million GeoCities Homesteaders have created more than 35 million pages of personalized content.
In March 1999, the GeoCities site generated more than 1.8 billion page views according to Nielsen I/PRO, and in March 1999, the site attracted over 21.3 million unique visitors and is ranked the fifth most trafficked site on the Internet, according to Media Metrix.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995:
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: the limited operating history and early development stage of GeoCities; its lack of profitability and anticipation of continued losses; the unpredictability and potential fluctuations in future revenues due to factors beyond GeoCities' control, including acceptance of the Web as an advertising medium, the level of traffic on GeoCities' Web site, the uncertainty of revenues from e-commerce revenue-sharing relationships, and the possibility of future government regulation; the unproven nature of GeoCities' Web-based community business model; dependence on member-generated content; GeoCities' substantial reliance on advertising revenues; the limited experience of GeoCities' management in the Internet industry; dependence on key personnel; intense competition by other Web communities and businesses; integration and other risks associated with acquisitions; and other factors detailed in GeoCities' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its filing on Form S-1 and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998. All companies and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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