Microsoft Buys Hotmail Email Service

[Alexander A Gusak]

Microsoft Buys Hotmail Email Service
REDMOND, Wash. (Reuters) - Microsoft, beefing up its offerings on the
Internet, said it bought e-mail service provider Hotmail for an undisclosed
sum.
Microsoft will make Hotmail a part of its Microsoft Network online service,
offering free e-mail to all Internet users, the company said.
For the past year, Microsoft, the world's biggest personal computer
software company, has been acquiring or setting up partnerships with
companies that provide services through the World Wide Web. Earlier,
Microsoft licensed technology from Inktomi to let computer users search the
Web.
The Hotmail acquisition ``completes a strategy we've had for the past nine
months to offer the key services that people want on the Internet,'' said
Laura Jennings, vice president of Microsoft Network.
Hotmail, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., allows computer users to send and
receive e-mail through the Internet for free. It makes money through
advertising sent to its 9.5 million subscribers.
Jennings said Microsoft was not only interested in Hotmail's big customer
base, but also its technology. Hotmail has developed special software to
handle huge amounts of e-mail at once.
Other Internet destination'' sites, such as Yahoo!'s search engine, have
introduced free e-mail in recent months to attract more viewers.
Reut11:52 01-02-98
(02 Jan 1998 11:52 EST)

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С уважением
Александр Гусак