Tribal Voice to Provide Instant Messaging Interoperability with MSN Messenger Service to Its 5 Million-Plus PowWow Users

Business Wire, August 18, 1999

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 18, 1999--

PowWow Users Worldwide Will be Able to Communicate with

Microsoft's Rapidly Growing MSN Messenger Service

Tribal Voice, Inc.(TM) announced today that it will provide support for Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT) MSN Messenger Service protocol in its PowWow(R) instant messaging and interactive communications product.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, the more than 5 million PowWow users will be able to communicate with their friends and family who are using the MSN Messenger Service. Because industry-wide standards for instant messaging and online presence have not yet been developed and ratified, this cooperative effort marks an important first step towards ensuring that instant messaging users worldwide will be able to communicate regardless of the specific messaging client they are using.

"Microsoft remains committed to working with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) on a standard for instant messaging interoperability," said Blake Irving, Microsoft general manager, Consumer and Commerce Group. "In the interim, we are very pleased to work with Tribal Voice to help meet our mutual goal of free and open communications on the Internet."

"Until an industry standard is developed and ratified, our support of MSN Messenger is a very important first step in ensuring that Internet communications become open and available to all users," said Tribal Voice president and CEO Joseph Esposito. "Interoperability will provide the foundation for a whole new generation of services and products that will be delivered to user's desktops worldwide."

Instant messaging has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the digital economy. International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that end-user revenues earned from this space will increase from $7.6 million in 1998 to $1.9 billion by 2003. With interoperability between instant messaging solutions, consumers will benefit as providers of these services compete based on the value of the services they provide rather than on what will become an instant messaging/online presence "common carrier" line.

Interoperability

Tribal Voice and MSN instant messaging users will be able to enjoy mutual online presence detection for their contacts, as well as send and receive instant messages regardless of which client they are using. Further, Tribal Voice is committed to providing its users with the ability to interoperate with all of the major instant messaging and online presence providers who share its belief in the value of open Internet communications. To that end, Tribal Voice encourages AOL (NYSE:AOL) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) to join with Microsoft and Tribal Voice in sharing communications protocols.

With PowWow already established as the technology powering AT&T (NYSE:T) WorldNet(R)'s I M Here(SM) instant messenger, this new interoperability agreement will also help bring together the user communities of leading ISPs worldwide as well as other users of Tribal Voice's co-branded PowWow instant messenger, which include offerings from Ciudad Internet and ISP Channel.

Pricing and Availability

Tribal Voice will distribute its free PowWow client with Microsoft MSN Messenger Service interoperability in the early fourth quarter, calendar year 1999.

About PowWow

PowWow is a fully integrated instant messaging, interactive communications and online community solution that features the only instant voice messaging and integrated voice chat capabilities available, as well as group chat, instant messaging, buddy lists, and real-time peer-to-peer communication. PowWow users can utilize a collaborative white board and bulletin board system, conduct Web tours, and share files, URLs and sounds. In addition, PowWow's highly scalable distributed community server (DCS) architecture enables users to quickly and easily create, host, and moderate their own private, personalized online communities.

The PowWow technology platform is also the leading choice for ISPs and companies looking to create their own branded instant messaging/interactive communications solutions. Companies using PowWow as the technology behind their instant messaging and online community offerings include AT&T WorldNet, Ciudad Internet and ISP Channel. PowWow is fully customizable to reach partners' specific needs, and co-branded versions of PowWow are interoperable with Tribal Voice's own PowWow software.

About Tribal Voice

Tribal Voice is the leading provider of instant messaging, interactive communications and online community solutions based on its PowWow technology. Founded in December, 1994, by anti-virus software guru John McAfee, the company is headquartered in Scotts Valley and maintains a development organization in Woodland Park, Colo. More than five million worldwide users participate in over 18,000 communities via the company's PowWow software. For more information on Tribal Voice and to download its free PowWow client software, please visit http://www.tribal.com or call 831/461-3100.