LONDON - November 4, 1998 -- Yahoo! Europe and BT today announced an alliance which will simplify use of the Internet for the UK’s 5.9m web users (source: internetTrak).

The announcement anticipates this month’s launch of Yahoo! Click in the UK, a combined pay- as-you-go Internet access and Web guide, with a dedicated customer helpline at local call rates. This new service requires no monthly subscription or registration process. With over 44m page views a month (source: ABC// electronic, June 98), British web users already heavily use Yahoo! UK & Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk), when looking for information on the Web. Yahoo! Click users will be able to take advantage of straightforward access, powered by BT, linking directly to Yahoo!’s Web directory and its additional search, communication and information services.

The service will be featured on the Yahoo! UK & Ireland site, which is visited by over 90% of UK Web searchers (source: internetTrak). Downloading the service will create a Yahoo! Click icon on the user’s PC, and by clicking on this icon the PC automatically dials the Yahoo! Click phone number through a modem and takes users directly to Yahoo! UK & Ireland. Users will be charged for the time spent using the Net on their phone bill. The calls will be charged at just 1p per minute above local call rates, and calls to the dedicated telephone helpline will be charged at local call rates.

Fabiola Arredondo, Yahoo! Europe’s managing director commented: "Yahoo!’s approach focuses on providing consumers with valuable and easy to use tools to help them derive the most out of the Web. We are delighted to be working with BT in extending this philosophy to the provision of a quick, straightforward pay-as-you-go Internet access service. We think that the combination of ‘getting onto’ and ‘getting around’ the Net into one simple, value for money offer is a truly compelling consumer proposition. This launch marks the first of Yahoo! Europe’s local ventures into the Internet access market."

John Swingewood, BT’s director of Internet and Multimedia services said: "Ease of access through BT Click coupled with Yahoo!’s highly successful web guide service makes Yahoo! Click a winning combination. BT launched its innovative pay-as-you-go Internet access service to help grow the Internet market; today’s announcement will do much to encourage this expansion and it’s a firm endorsement from Yahoo! of this new pay-as-you-go concept."

The Yahoo! UK & Ireland site features a comprehensive directory of Web sites organised by a team of human surfers into 14 categories including News & Media, Business & Economy, Entertainment, and Health. A search of the directory automatically brings up relevant UK and Irish sites first, followed by the most appropriate of the Web sites available through Yahoo! worldwide. As well as the directory, Yahoo! UK & Ireland offers users free access to a number of UK and Irish focused information services such as Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! News and Yahoo! Weather. In addition, Yahoo! UK & Ireland has direct links to other personalisation and communication services such as My Yahoo! and Yahoo! Mail.

BT Internet & Multimedia Services is the UK’s largest provider of on-line services for consumer and business use. Its product portfolio includes:

• BT Internet - providing a range of Internet services
• Click+ - pay-as-you surf Internet service with no registration, fixed term contracts or monthly subscriptions
• Talk21 - free email address service Joint venture initiatives include:
• LineOne, a web-based service offering Internet connection and online UK focused content. A joint venture between BT, News International and United News & Media.
• BiB, a joint venture between BT, BSkyB, Midland Bank and Matsushita - providing digital interactive television services.

About Yahoo! Inc Yahoo! Inc. is a global Internet media company that offers a branded network of comprehensive information, communication and shopping services to millions of users daily. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the single largest guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach, and is one of the most recognised brands associated with the Internet. The company has 14 international Web properties outside the United States. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia Pacific and Canada and is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.

About Yahoo! Europe Yahoo! Europe comprises local Yahoo! sites for the UK & Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Each site offers local language information and e-commerce services dedicated to meeting the needs of local consumers. The Yahoo! offices in London, Paris, Munich, Milan, Stockholm and Copenhagen are staffed by local nationals and Yahoo! Europe is headquartered in central London.

Yahoo!, Yahooligans!,and the Yahoo! logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Sources: Market size: internetTrak Survey, March 98, commissioned from NOP by KPMG, Ziff-Davis and Yahoo!
Yahoo! page views: ABC //electronic audit June 98

PRESS CONTACTS - BT

David Pincott, Press and PR Manager, BT Internet & Multimedia Services, telephone 0171-492 8470, e-mail david.pincott@bt.com

or Jayne Bassham/Belinda Huber, Spreckley Pittham Ltd, telephone 0171-388 9988, e-mail bassham@spreckley.co.uk

PRESS CONTACTS – Yahoo!

Fiona Murphy or Rebecca Woods at Joe Public Relations on 0181 237 4000 or email fionam@joepublicrelations.co.uk or rebeccaw@joepublicrelations.co.uk