TELECOM WATCH
Sprint Goes Hollywood: Sprint Corp., Kansas City, Mo., and Blockbuster Entertainment Group are offering the Sprint Internet Passport -- Internet content software -- at 3,200 Blockbuster stores around the country. Customers who rent or buy something at the store receive a CD-ROM, which gives users free access to entertainment sites. Internet access, which must be bought separately, is included for 30 days. The software a
Sprint Goes Hollywood: Sprint Corp., Kansas City, Mo., and Blockbuster Entertainment Group are offering the Sprint Internet Passport -- Internet content software -- at 3,200 Blockbuster stores around the country. Customers who rent or buy something at the store receive a CD-ROM, which gives users free access to entertainment sites. Internet access, which must be bought separately, is included for 30 days.
Blockbuster plans to add online chat and games later. Customers don't have to use Sprint as their long distance provider to get the Blockbuster service.
Sprint said that because Blockbuster has stores within four miles of 80 percent of the U.S population, this alliance puts them as close as possible to the consumer.
Another Internet Choice in D.C.: Cellular One in Greenbelt, Md., has launched an Internet service in the Washington-Baltimore area.
Like many of the Internet access companies, Cellular One charges $19.95 a month for unlimited use. The service comes with Netscape Navigator 2.02. Cellular One customers would have Internet charges included on their wireless bill.
InteliData Is Born: The merger of US Order, Herndon, Va., and Colonial Data Technologies, New Milford, Conn., has been finalized. The new company, InteliData, began trading Nov. 8 on Nasdaq under the symbol INTD.
InteliData, based in Herndon, has three areas of expertise: electronic commerce, consumer telecommunications and online services.
About 32.1 million shares of InteliData were exchanged for 16.6 million shares of US Order and 15.5 million shares of Colonial Data stock in a one-to-one deal.
Newbridge Takes a Bite Out of Canada: Newbridge Networks Inc., Herndon, Va., plans to acquire 15 percent of Broadband Networks Inc., Manitoba, Canada.
One of the first orders of business will be to integrate the Canadian company's radio technology with asynchronous transfer mode switching products developed by Newbridge and Siemens AG in Germany.
In addition, the alliance will offer local multipoint distribution service in the United States and local multipoint communications systems in Canada.