OPTUSNET LAUNCHES PORTAL POWERED BY EXCITE

Cable & Wireless Optus today unveiled a new look home page for its 151,000 dial-up internet customers. The launch of the site makes OptusNet one of the first to offer a world-class personalised portal as part of its ISP service.

The home page is the result of the relationship between Excite Australia and Cable & Wireless Optus. Excite Australia has built and will support a customised version of the Excite site with sticky content, personalisation and leading edge applications for OptusNet.

"We have launched a serious portal play and our new approach positions us to provide a compelling dial-up internet experience for our customers," said Donna Lachance, Director of Multimedia & Internet Cable & Wireless Optus.

"We wanted to provide our customers with a rich, robust start page experience. Rather than us second-guessing what content they were interested in, we wanted our customers to be able to customise their home page and personalise their online needs."

"OptusNet customers can now search and navigate through twelve new specialty channels alongside traditional member features like account usage and help sections. They can choose and truly personalise the content to their individual tastes," said Ms Lachance.

With this level of personalised content available to them every time they dial-up, OptusNet customers only need to download the information that interests them - ensuring they get the most from their internet experience.

The new OptusNet portal powered by Excite Australia contains the following features:

• Content that customers can personalise to their own requirements including weather, sports results, travel, share prices, news, horoscopes, TV listings and local cinema listings. Unlike other ISP offerings that simply allow customers to opt in and out of certain topics, OptusNet customers can personalise to a greater level of detail with a broad range of national and international content.
• Twelve channels of content including live stock quotes, travel, sports, news, finance, horoscopes, entertainment, games and shopping.
• New features including the redesigned 'My Account' and 'HelpDesk' sections. A new 'How To' section to help members set-up the OptusNet service and 'Mail' straight from the home page.
• The OptusNet Zone - a special section full of regularly updated features and information for Optus members right on the front page.

The OptusNet portal will be live from 15 May 2000.

Visit www.optusnet.com.au or call 1800 558 558 to sign up for OptusNet.

For more information:
Melissa Favero
Cable & Wireless Optus
Phone: (02) 9342 5030