Juno Launches Fee-Based Web Access, Enhanced E-mail

Ad-backed email operation Juno Online Services launched Juno Web and Juno Gold, two new service levels “designed to meet the expanding Internet needs of Juno’s subscriber base.”

Subscribers can now choose from three levels of service, ranging from basic e- mail to full Internet access. Juno’s basic email service continues to be free; its enhanced email service, Juno Gold, and its full Internet access service, Juno Web, are available on a billable basis.

Juno Gold supplements the features of Juno’s basic email service with the additional ability to send and receive non-text file attachments such as pictures, spreadsheets, and word-processor-formatted documents along with the subscriber’s email messages.

Juno Web includes all the features of Juno Gold, and it allows the subscriber to explore the Web using a standard Web browser.

All three service levels are fully integrated within Juno’s interface, so that users at any service level can easily switch to another at any time, retaining the same email address when they do so.

Juno said the new multi-tiered service is designed to provide a natural and gradual migration path onto the Internet for customers.

“Because of the Internet’s explosive growth and huge impact, we sometimes forget that it is a relatively new phenomenon and remains an unexplored universe for roughly 80% of all Americans,” said Charles Ardai, Juno’s president. “Juno’s 5.5 million subscribers represent a community that has taken its first step onto the Internet. Now they can ‘graduate’ to using broader Internet services without having to change their email address, learn how to use a new basic interface, or give up Juno’s 7 reliability and ease of use.”

Juno’s portal site will be at http://home.juno.com. All Juno Web members will automatically be brought to this portal site (much of the contents of which will be provided through a strategic alliance with Lycos) each time they use the service.

In addition to the subscription fees (prices were not disclosed) generated by Juno members who upgrade to Juno Gold or Juno Web, Juno derives its revenues >from highly targeted interactive advertising shown within the email interface used by subscribers to all three levels of Juno’s service. Juno offers ad targeting through the use of data collected from the Member Profile survey all members are required to fill out when they create a Juno accounts.