America Online gets the message: go wireless

From staff reports

February 28, 2000
Web posted at: 1:14 p.m. EST (1814 GMT)

VIENNA, Virginia (CNN) -- America Online announced on Monday an ambitious strategy to make many of its popular Internet features available through wireless communications, a plan that could change how hundreds of millions of consumers access online information.

AOL, the world's largest Internet service provider, will offer popular AOL features through arrangements with six major wireless data carriers, device and mobile phone makers, the companies jointly announced on Monday.

"There's no question that we're on the eve of an explosion in consumers' move to wireless and how they use interactive devices," said Steve Case, AOL chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Tens of millions of people already use AOL features, either as ISP subscribers or users of the company's Web-based brands like Instant Messenger. Altogether, AOL product users send more than 110 million emails and 1 billion instant messages every day, according to the company.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Wireless world

Dennis Patrick, President of AOL Wireless, thinks Internet users will surpass another billion number watershed within a few years, one that makes the wireless strategy necessary.

"Research indicates that total wireless service will hit 1.26 billion by 2005, up from 469 million at year end 1999," he said in a statement.

Consumers will be able to use wireless mobile phones, pagers and other devices to access AOL e-mail, instant messaging and content features such as news, economic and entertainment information and maps for driving.

Monday's announcements include the new "AOL Mobile Messenger" service, which will offer wireless access to AOL's e-mail and Instant Messenger applications over personal, mobile-paging devices.

AOL announced agreements with the following companies:

• Sprint PCS: Customers will have access to AOL content and services on Sprint PCS, the fastest growing wireless service provider.
• Nokia: AOL and Nokia will develop a version of the AOL Instant Messenger service for Nokia's wireless handheld devices.
• Motorola: AOL and Motorola plan to deliver AOL mobile messenger services through many Motorola wireless devices.
• Research in Motion: The company's two-way Internet appliance will offer the new AOL mobile messenger service through a customized handheld device.
• BellSouth: BellSouth wireless network-enabled devices will offer AOL's e-mail, instant messenger service and new mobile messenger service.
• Arch Communications: Arch will provide two-way wireless messaging capabilities for AOL's mobile messenger service, and AOL's e-mail and instant messenger services using devices enabled with Arch's messaging capabilities.

The Vienna, Virginia-based America Online also announced Monday that Digital City, an AOL Internet service that provides customized information on restaurants, movies and the like, will become available to wireless consumers in 60 cities next month.

Additionally, AOL said it has become a member of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) forum, a group of more than 200 wireless-related businesses developing wireless application protocol standards for the Internet.

AOL has announced an impending merger with Time-Warner, the parent company of CNN.com.

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AOL.COM
Sprint PCS
Nokia on the Web
Motorola, Inc.
Research In Motion
BellSouth.com
Arch Communications

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