Fri Apr 28 APGR Arch Chosen to Join BellSouth's Team of Preferred Messaging Suppliers - PR Newswire
Arch Forms Strategic Alliance with MyWay.com to Offer Customizable Web Portal to Wireless Messaging Customers
Agreement Enables Customers to Access Personalized News and Information Through Arch's Web Site
WESTBOROUGH, Mass., and ANDOVER, Mass., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Communications Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APGR - news), one of the largest wireless messaging and mobile data providers in the United States, and MyWay.com, a leading developer and distributor of custom portal solutions and majority- owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news), today announced a strategic alliance to allow Arch customers to wirelessly access and customize a wide variety of content and applications on the World Wide Web - including national and local news and weather, stock quotes, email and personal organizer applications - through Arch's web site.
Scheduled to launch during the second quarter of 2000, visitors to the Arch web site will be redirected to a new URL, http://arch.myway.com, which will contain Arch-specific content, such as information about the company's products and services, as well as enable them to send pages. The co-branded site also will feature the most popular Internet applications - email and address books - as well as links to industry-leading content providers, including The New York Times and ZDNet.
C. Edward Baker, Jr., Arch chairman and chief executive officer, said: ``We are truly excited to partner with MyWay.com. In doing so, Arch is dramatically improving the functionality of our web presence, building a new advertising revenue source, and developing a solid new source of distribution.''
Baker added: ``Our strategic alliance with MyWay.com is an example of how Arch is moving beyond traditional messaging to become a mobile information provider - keeping people in touch not only with other people, but with the information that helps make their lives simpler and more productive. And by taking it a step further and personalizing the web and wireless experience, we continue to increase the value and the relevance of what we offer customers.''
Backed by agreements with more than 65 content providers, MyWay.com offers users one of the most information-rich experiences on the web. As a result, MyWay.com ranks among the top three Web portals in terms of frequency of visits and duration of use. The MyWay.com network is the largest in the custom portal market, with more than 1,000 sites launched.
``Integrating the MyWay.com portal content and features into Arch's web site is a powerful way for Arch to leverage the Internet to establish a closer relationship with its customers,'' said Jeff Cunningham, chief executive officer of MyWay.com. ``Because users demand a personalized online experience, MyWay.com partners enjoy some of the most impressive 'sticky' metrics in the industry. Arch's new web site also is an ideal complement to its existing service, as the portal extends the benefits of wireless messaging by helping users stay informed, manage their time, and organize their lives.''
Cunningham continued: ``Our agreement with Arch also provides tangible benefits to MyWay.com by giving us access to Arch's impressive customer base of approximately seven million subscribers and additional non-subscribers who visit the Arch site to use the 'Send a Page' or other features.''
About MyWay.com
MyWay.com is a branded consumer Internet portal and majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. As the leading developer and distributor of custom portal services, MyWay.com provides its technology platform, content and personalization functionality to MyWay Network Affiliate partners. The MyWay.com technology platform is highly customizable, allowing partners and users to create a compelling online experience via MyWay.com's ``PortalPlus'' selection of commerce, content and integration tools. Network partners include media, consumer and financial services, and commercial organizations that have the assets and capability to evolve as Internet portals. The MyWay Network drives customer retention and increases revenues and usage for partner sites by seamlessly integrating content and features targeted to individual users' unique interests. MyWay.com provides custom portal solutions to more than 1,000 MyWay Network Affiliate partners. To learn more about MyWay.com or develop your own custom portal experience, visit us at www.myway.com.
About Arch
Arch Communications Group, Inc., Westborough, MA, is a leading U.S. wireless messaging company with annual revenues in excess of $800 million. Arch provides local, regional and nationwide wireless communications services to customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and in the Caribbean. Arch operates approximately 300 offices and company-owned stores across the country. Arch's pending merger with Paging Network, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAGE - news), targeted for completion at mid-year 2000, will create a wireless messaging and communications company with annual revenues of approximately $1.6 billion. Additional information on Arch is available on the Internet at www.arch.com.
Market Capitalization $396.8M
Shares Outstanding 51.2M
Float 6.10M
