REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 8, 2004 — The MSN® network of Internet services today announced that subscribers who receive high-speed Internet access via Qwest Communications International Inc. can begin their New Year’s diet by trimming spam, pop-up ads and Internet viruses from their online menu without adding to their post-holiday bills. Available in conjunction with Qwest Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service, MSN Premium provides users with an innovative array of powerful, flexible tools for stamping out online threats, and delivers engaging services that offer advanced communication tools and rich information services. MSN Premium features applications that help people share e-mail and digital photos, and easily access personal information to manage their daily lives; it helps with everything from completing homework to paying bills online.
“With Qwest broadband, our customers enjoy a fast and reliable connection while also receiving MSN’s premier content and features,”
said Tad Jones, director of DSL product management for Qwest.
“MSN Premium adds value to Qwest broadband services with tremendous communication tools and a customizable experience, while increasing the defense against online threats and annoyances.”
MSN Premium is broadly available today, but became available for Qwest DSL subscribers last month. Qwest is currently one of the only providers in its 14-state service region making MSN Premium available to customers. The service is the first designed by MSN specifically to take advantage of a high-speed connection and enhance the online experience for people using broadband services. MSN Premium offers the following benefits:
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MSN Premium offers advanced communication capabilities by providing rich e-mail management and creation tools, introducing innovative and seamless ways of sharing digital photos, enabling customers to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts, and helping customers jointly manage their work and personal information with the Microsoft® Office Outlook® Connector for MSN.
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The service offers industry-leading technology to provide proven security features including desktop anti-virus and firewall protection powered by McAfee® Security, multiple levels of junk e-mail filtering including Microsoft SmartScreen Technology, smart pop-up management, and rich parental controls.
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MSN Premium provides rich information services and productivity applications such as a dynamic dashboard, blogging capabilities, photo-editing and organization tools with MSN Photo Plus, personal finance tools with MSN Money Plus, and learning and resource tools from MSN Encarta® Premium.
“Working with a top business partner like Qwest enables us to introduce more and more people to the valuable services that we offer with MSN Premium,”
said Richard Bray, vice president for MSN at Microsoft Corp.
“We look forward to introducing the growing number of Qwest DSL subscribers to the advanced communication tools, comprehensive security solutions and rich information services that only MSN can provide.”
Qwest offers two DSL packages that integrate MSN Premium: Qwest Choice DSL, with MSN Premium with up to 256Kbps access for $26.99 per month, and Qwest Choice DSL Deluxe, with MSN Premium with up to 640Kbps access for $39.99 per month. (Prices apply to customers who have either a Qwest home phone bundle or who have purchased a qualifying satellite TV service through Qwest.)
About MSN
MSN attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and ad sales to businesses worldwide. MSN 8 is the first Internet software product to have earned the trusted Good Housekeeping Seal. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software
any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, MSN, Outlook and Encarta are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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