ENRON ENRICHES BELLSOUTH INTERNET USERS ONLINE EXPERIENCE
WITH BROADBAND CONTENT DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 11, 2000
HOUSTON -- Enron Broadband Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Enron Corp., and a leader in the delivery of high-bandwidth application services, announced today an agreement with BellSouth to enable BellSouth Internet users to receive broadband content available on the Enron Intelligent Network™.
The broadband content-including entertainment, financial and news content and applications-will be delivered at premium speeds and with premium quality to BellSouth's Internet subscribers.
"This relationship allows us to reach broadband enabled users throughout yet another significant portion of the country," said Joe Hirko, president and CEO of Enron Broadband Services. "A relationship with BellSouth is key to our mission of creating the platform of choice for bringing broadband content to broadband users."
The content will be delivered by Enron's Broadband Operating System over the high-speed, fiber-optic Enron Intelligent Network at speeds up to 1 Mbps, bypassing the overcrowded public Internet and creating an end-to-end solution that ensures optimum quality in the delivery of TV-quality audio and video and high bit rate applications.
Subscribers will access Enron's broadband offerings at the highest speeds and level of quality. After an initial trial period, access to the broadband offerings will first be made available to BellSouth customers in Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans, all of which are markets where BellSouth offers ADSL-based Internet services.
"BellSouth's agreement with Enron marks a significant step forward in our efforts to enhance delivery of differentiated content to our customers, enabling a faster and more exciting Internet experience. Distributing content in our network provides added value to our subscribers and allows them to further maximize the potential of the Internet," said Cristina Van Hoff, Senior Manager of Strategy and Business Development, BellSouth Corporation.
BellSouth® FastAccessSM Internet service is provided in 30 cities throughout the Southeast. The service is currently available to 7 million telephone lines that meet the technical specifications, and plans call for a total of 11.5 million lines to be capable of delivering the service by the end of this year. BellSouth FastAccess Internet service offers lightning-fast connection speeds. The service features a maximum download speed of up to 1.5 Mbps. It is an unlimited, "always-connected" Internet service with no waiting to dial up to connect. BellSouth FastAccess Internet service also provides the enhanced security of a dedicated DSL connection. Users can talk on the phone and surf the Internet at the same time, on the same phone line. Customers can now request BellSouth FastAccess Internet service through the BellSouth Web site at www.fastaccess.com or by calling 1-800-689-1745.
About BellSouth
BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) is a $25 billion communications services company. It provides telecommunications, wireless and wireless long distance communications, Internet and data services, advertising and publishing, and video and entertainment services to more than 37 million customers in 18 countries worldwide. NOTE: For more information about BellSouth, visit our Web page at http://www.bellsouth.com.
About Enron Broadband Services
Enron Broadband Services is a leading provider of high quality, broadband Internet content and applications. The company's business model combines the power of the Enron Intelligent Network, Enron's Broadband Operating System, bandwidth trading and intermediation services, and high-bandwidth applications, to fundamentally improve the experience and functionality of the Internet. Enron introduces its Broadband Operating System to allow application developers to dynamically provision bandwidth on demand for the end-to-end quality of service necessary to deliver broadband content. Enron is also creating a market for bandwidth that will allow network providers to scale to meet the demands that increasingly complex applications require.
About Enron
Enron is one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas and communications companies. The company, which owns approximately $33 billion in energy and communications assets, produces electricity and natural gas, develops, constructs and operates energy facilities worldwide, delivers physical commodities and financial and risk management services to customers around the world, and is developing an intelligent network platform to facilitate online business. Enron's Internet address is www.enron.com. The stock is traded under the ticker symbol, "ENE."
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For additional information please contact:
Claudia Johnson
503-886-0666
Claudia_Johnson@enron.net
Jeff Battcher
404-713-0274
Jeff.Battcher@bellsouth.com
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