Internet Access: U S West Begins Free Sign-Up for Advanced Web-Based E-Mail Service; Will be Centerpiece for New Internet-based, Mobile Customer Lifestyles - Company Business and Marketing

EDGE, On & About AT&T, March 15, 1999

Free, Personalized Internet Addresses for U S WEST.mail Available on First-come, First-served Basis; Private Accounts on World Wide Web will Give Access to Integrated Messaging 'Anytime, Anywhere'

Starting Wednesday, millions of U S WEST customers across the company's 14-states can sign up for their own free, personalized Internet address with U S WEST.mail, a new Web-based, password-protected e-mail service that lets people send and receive e-mail from any computer with Internet access -- in homes, businesses, cybercafes, Internet kiosks and schools -- from anywhere around the world.

In the coming year, U S WEST plans to enable and integrate the service with a range of exciting capabilities: * Customers get not just a Web-based address and identity, but access to a mobile, Web-based lifestyle.

* Students and shoppers won't need to search for a computer connected to their ISP -- they can send and receive Internet messages away from home or just around the corner -- all from a single e-mailbox.

* Travelers and businesses will be able to send and receive encrypted e-mail from anywhere in the world.

* Customers will be able to forward and receive messages from U S WEST Advanced PCS wireless phones.

* Address book and calendar features will give U S WEST.mail customers a 'Web-based daily planner' they can tap into from anywhere

* over any Internet-connected computer or even their PCS phone.

* Integrated messaging will ultimately let customers hear their e-mail and read their voice-mail.

"Today, people depend on dial tone to keep in touch. We're working to make Web tone just as fast, easy and universally available," said Sol Trujillo, president and CEO, U S WEST. "U S WEST.mail gives people access to a mobile Internet lifestyle, where their e-mail and voice-mail, their computer and wireless phones, are all increasingly connected. This is a great opportunity for customers, whether they're 'Net-savvy or 'Net-starters."

Customers who want to sign up for their own personalized, private U S WEST.mail account: * Can access the service online at http://www.uswestmail.net . It is available in both English and Spanish.

* Customers simply provide their name, telephone number, a user name and a password to set up an account.

* User names are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no limit to the number of accounts that can be set up for any U S WEST phone number. Family members can each have their own private account.

* Registration takes less than five minutes. Subscribers can immediately send and receive e-mail messages.

"E-mail has become a standard form of communication because it is both fast and easy to use," said Eric Bozich, vice president of Internet Services Development at U S WEST !NTERPRISE Networking. "U S WEST is providing U S WEST.mail free to all of our customers because we understand the importance of making e-mail as universally available and as easy to use as the telephone is today."

Recommend Customers Sign up Quickly to Reserve Internet Names "Because we're offering free e-mail addresses on a first-come, first-served basis, we strongly encourage everyone -- especially people with common surnames -- to sign up soon to reserve their name," said Bozich. U S WEST is recommending that customers use "first name, underscore, last name" as their e-mail address (jane_doe@uswestmail.net). "Using this e-mail naming standard will make it easier for people to find you and will help people remember your e-mail address when trying to get in touch with you."

"We hope all U S WEST customers seize this opportunity to establish their own free e-mail address on the World Wide Web, regardless of whether they have Internet access at home today," said Bozich. "Most people know someone who is already online and can help them set up their U S WEST.mail account."

"U S WEST.mail can be accessed anytime, anywhere and through any Internet Service Provider connection. Customers who only have Internet access at work or school, or even at a friend's or family member's home, can set up their own private e-mail account that can be accessed from any or all of these locations."

Customers with existing Internet access will find the flexibility of U S WEST.mail appealing. For example, customers who travel frequently can check their e-mail regardless of where they are. And customers who have multiple e-mail accounts can simplify their lives by forwarding their various e-mail accounts to a single, unified U S WEST.mail account.

Businesses will appreciate that employees can use their U S WEST.mail account for personal messages instead of receiving them at company e-mail addresses, relieving businesses of the burden of processing non-business e-mail.

U S WEST Worked with Critical Path to Host Service Each U S WEST.mail box comes with 2.5 MegaBytes of storage, which is the equivalent of about 200 printed pages of text, or as many as 500 short messages. The service supports e-mail attachments that do not exceed the maximum available memory. U S WEST.mail requires at least Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0, and the browser's JavaScript must be enabled. U S WEST.mail accounts are password protected, and subscribers must access their U S WEST.mail accounts at least every 30 days to keep them active.