rather PRey but still -- AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity Options

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Tuesday, August 24, 1993 


            AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity Options 

        BASKING RIDGE, N.J -- AT&T today announced new options that will
provide a single-vendor solution for accessing both the global Internet
and enhanced messaging services.  These new options will be available in
the first quarter of 1994 to customers of AT&T InterSpan (R) Services,
AT&T EasyLink Services and the millions of people worldwide who use the
Internet.
        There will be new connections to the Internet from AT&T InterSpan
Frame Relay Services and Information Access Services.  There also will
be new connections from AT&T EasyLink Services to the Internet through
AT&T InterSpan Services.
        Customers of InterSpan Services will gain a variety of convenient,
cost-effective options to access the global Internet.  At the same time,
InterSpan customers and all global Internet users will be able to
subscribe to the full range of messaging services from AT&T EasyLink
Services including electronic mail, text-to-fax delivery and telex, and
will be able to communicate with subscribers of non-Internet commercial
network services worldwide.
          AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Service customers will have access
to the Internet by simply adding a single permanent virtual circuit to
their existing connections.
        Similarly, InterSpan Information Access Service customers will
be able to access the Internet at speeds ranging from 300 - 14400 bps
with a nationwide toll-free, seven-digit number (950-1ATT).
        "Increasingly, organizations need to reach beyond their own
boundaries to access the information and computing resources they need,"
said Jayne Fitzgerald, product line director, InterSpan Data
Communications Services.  "With these new options, our customers will
have the opportunity to simplify their premises equipment needs and
vendor interface requirements, as well as streamline their network
management issues."
        For customers of AT&T EasyLink Services, who already have
access to the global Internet, the new connections will mean improved
reliability and performance for their Internet communications.
        "More and more people, including AT&T customers, want to have
the option to communicate on the global Internet," said Sal Noto,
product management vice president, AT&T EasyLink Services.  "In
providing that option, we're increasing the ease with which millions
of people can access each other as well as the information they want
and need."
         The new AT&T options will include a naming service based
on the Domain Name System (DNS), a widely used method for naming and
translating addresses on the Internet.  With this service, AT&T customers
will be able to register an Internet name of their choice--one that
reflects their corporate identity, for example--and use that name for
their communication on the Internet.  AT&T also will offer to assist
customers with selection, registration and maintenance of their names
on the Internet.
        All of the new AT&T Internet connectivity options will support
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol), the primary
method for transferring information across various networks on the
Internet.
        Customers of the new Internet connectivity options will be able
to tap into the InterNic directory and database services.  Provided by
AT&T since April under a cooperative agreement with the National Science
Foundation, these services make it easier for all Internet users to find
available Internet resources.  
       AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Service and InterSpan Information
Access Service are members of a comprehensive new family of high-quality,
innovative data connectivity solutions designed to make it easier
to link people, locations and information.  The InterSpan Services
facilitate faster, more efficient distributed computing for business
through customized data services flexible enough to change and grow
as a company evolves.
        AT&T EasyLink Services serves more than 160 countries and has
sales and support offices in three dozen countries.  AT&T EasyLink
Services offers one of the broadest arrays of electronic messaging
services in the market, including electronic data interchange, gateways
from LAN-based e-mail systems and telex, in addition to electronic mail,
enhanced fax and information services. 

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Editors' notes: 

The global Internet is a system of approximately 14,000 interconnected
data networks, reaching more than 100 countries and serving commercial 
organizations, research organizations, governments and universities.
By the end of 1993, more than 2 million computers, terminals and other
devices will be accessible on the Internet. 

950 access is currently available in 90% of the U.S. market.  Where 950
access is not available and as back-up, an 800 number is provided. 


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