@Home Status Update Q1 1996
Mountain View, California -- March 27, 1996 -- In a teleconference with key industry
influencers @Home today discussed achievements and directions in the company's efforts
to deliver cable-based Internet solutions. Topics covered included an articulation
of @Home's technology direction, partnerships and content, and initial availability
of the service.
@Home's Technology Direction
Numerous companies are jumping on the Internet access bandwagon this year, including
telephone companies, cable operators and even satellite communications firms. Many
are promising high speed access to existing Internet resources which may overburden
the infrastructure.
"The Internet was never designed to convey the huge amounts of rich multimedia content
that is being posted on the World Wide Web today," said Milo Medin, vice president,
network for @Home. "So adding thousands of users with 14.4 modems, ISDN or even
cable modems is like putting more cars on a freeway. Even a sportscar is relegated
to 5 miles per hour in a traffic jam."
To address this challenge, @Home is delivering more than just fast Internet access
via cable. The company is currently building its own network to handle high-speed,
multimedia Internet traffic. This infrastructure includes two major components:
a backboneÑthe information pipeline that allows national and international communications
and information transport, and regional data centersÑstrategically located computer
servers that will store data from around the world in local areas to speed access
to customers.
"Unlike the existing Internet, our network will be proactively managed," Medin said.
"That means that as usage grows we can strategically add bandwidth where it is needed.
The fundamental characteristics of cable, like the ability to add channels and increase
capacity, make that possible."
Partnerships and Content
The key to @Home's success going forward, say Medin and Doherty, will be the company's
ability to develop partnerships with other industry leaders, provide great content,
and deliver a product that provides high quality, performance and ease of use.
"As many people know, we have been working with Netscape to develop our @Home browser,"
Doherty said. "What people may not know is that we are also collaborating with Netscape
to develop an open platform for publishing the new kinds of multimedia content that
will be possible with the advent of our @Home network."
The company has relationships with other software developers, including Macromedia,
to explore new opportunities for on-line video, audio, gaming and other types of
programming. @Home is also in discussions with a number of companies that develop
content for the World Wide Web, and they expect to make some significant announcements
in those areas later this year.
@Home is currently working very closely with its primary cable partner Tele-Communications,
Inc., and is working with additional cable operators interested in delivering the
@Home service. The company did not comment regarding any potential negotiations
or agreements.
Availability
The company is currently testing the @Home service in Sunnyvale. @Home is also proceeding
with testing of the service in a number of other markets throughout the United States.
The company still expects the service will be available in several areas this year.
"We have extended our testing phase in Sunnyvale," said Sean Doherty, chief operating
officer for @Home Network. "And, we are currently working toward phased rollouts
in a number of additional U.S. markets."
@Home, founded in May 1995, is a joint venture between Tele-Communications, Inc.,
and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a premier venture capital firm based in Menlo
Park, California. With headquarters in Mountain View, California, @Home's mission
is to provide high-speed Internet access to personal computers via cable technology.
Editors note: At Home Corporation uses the "@" symbol as part of its service
mark "@Home Network." The company understands that some publishing systems are not
capable of printing or transmitting this symbol. In that event, please refer to
us as At Home Corporation or At Home Corp.
If you have any questions regarding the usage of the At Home Corp. name or the @Home
Network service mark, please contact Lynda Lucero at (650) 944-7200.
All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. Other
products or services are identified by trademarks or service marks of their respective
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