Dell Teams Up With SBC, Excite
Dell Computer teamed up Wednesday with SBC Communications and Excite to bundle Internet hardware and content in its hot-selling line of desktop PCs.
Under the pact with search-engine specialist Excite (XCIT), Dell's (DELL) Dimension desktop personal computers would connect customers to a built-in personalized Excite start page at www.dell.excite.com.At the same time, Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, will build into its computers high-speed ADSL modems that can take advantage of new services being offered by SBC Communications (SBC), the regional Bell operating company covering California, Texas and several other states.
ADSL calls deliver much faster access to the Internet.
"This is a very significant distribution deal for us," said George Bell, CEO of Excite. "Excite is diversifying the ways it reaches consumers, and being allied with Dell at the consumers' point of entry onto the Internet is an important means to that end."
On Wall Street, shares of Excite jumped 6 5/8 to 35 in morning trading - a gain of 23 percent. Dell gained 2 /38 to 62 7/16 while SBC rose 716 to 41 3/8.
Written By Frank Barnako