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AT&T teams with Yahoo!
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May 18, 1998: 11:59 a.m. ET
Telecom titan pairs with Internet search engine to market its products, again
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Less than two weeks after teaming with Excite Inc., a rapidly growing Internet search engine, telecommunications titan AT&T said Monday it has reached an agreement with Yahoo! Inc. to market its products on the popular Web site.
The partnership, part of a growing industry trend, will enable Yahoo! users to purchase AT&T's long-distance services, calling cards, prepaid cards and AT&T WirelessServices.
The companies also plan to launch a new Internet-based consumer communications service on the site.
"By making a wide array of AT&T's communications services available from the most heavily trafficked site on the Internet, we are also taking full advantage of the Web's power as a medium for marketing, distribution and customer service," said Dan Schulman, president of AT&T WorldNet Service. "Our trial of a new Internet-based service will essentially voice-enable Yahoo! Chat, bringing a new dimension in communications to the wealth of resources already there."
Schulman was referring to a plan to initiate a voice-enabled chat trial that will enable chat room participants to turn a traditional keyboard-based session into a confidential voice conversation.
The application combines Web technology with AT&T telecommunications service to establish a voice link between the two participants without revealing any participant's phone number to the others.
Earlier this month, AT&T teamed with Excite, another popular Internet search tool, under a three-year agreement to introduce Excite Online Powered by AT&T WorldNet Service.
The service is expected to compete against Yahoo! Online, the joint venture of Yahoo! Inc. and MCI Communications Corp., which was announced in March.
The recent marketing deals, however, are not unique.
Two weeks ago, Excite entered a two-year agreement with Netscape Communications Corp. in which Excite will provide its search-engine technology to power Netscape's Netcenter Web site. Excite also will sell all advertising for co-branded Netcenter content channels.
Additionally, AT&T and Lycos Inc. recently signed a deal in which Lycos will offer AT&T hybrid telephone services on its Web site.
Yahoo! is the world's most popular site on the Web, serving more than 30 million U.S. users each month. AT&T is the world's premier communications company, serving more than 90 million customers around the world.
Yahoo! stock was trading at 117-1/8, down 15/16, on the Nasdaq morning following the news.
AT&T shares were trading unchanged at 57 on the New York Stock Exchange. 
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AT&T
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