SBC Communications, Flycast Partner

SBC Interactive, the online publishing company of SBC Communications Inc., and Web ad network Flycast Communications Corp. signed an agreement in which SBC will deliver Web advertising solutions to local and regional businesses in its seven-state region.

SBC Interactive operates Yellow Pages and information Web sites calledSMARTpages.com serving California, Texas, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas.

The partnership is positioned to address the anticipated growth of local online advertising, which represents approximately 50% of total offline media spending. This agreement allows SBC Interactive to help its advertisers expand their market presence on the Web through Flycast’s network of more than 780 Web sites. Financial arrangements were not disclosed.

San Francisco-based Flycast said the partnership also marks the expansion of its Local Market/VAR Division, which enables local advertisers and e-commerce businesses to maximize their return on investment in Web advertising. In working with SBC, Flycast will build on the relationships and experience the company has developed since launching the Local Market/VAR Division last fall.

“Our relationship with Flycast allows us to offer local merchants the ability to geo-target Internet banner advertising to better reach local online consumers,” said Dan Finnigan, president and CEO of SBC Interactive. “This is a natural fit to SBC’s overall goal to provide local merchants with a one-stop Internet advertising solution. In addition to SMARTpages.com, this gives our Yellow Pages sales agents a new and exciting product to offer their customers.”

SBC Communications is a leader in the telecommunications industry, with more than 37 million access lines and 6.9 million wireless customers across the United States, as well as investments in telecommunications businesses in 11 countries. Subsidiaries include Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, SNET, Nevada Bell and Cellular One.