AOL Finds Ally In Juno

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August 09, 1999 (12:00 AM EDT)

By Lee Copeland,

America Online on Monday signed Juno Online Services to its growing list of instant-messaging ISP allies.

Under the terms of the deal, AOL will let Juno's 6.8 million customers to receive instant e-mail from AOL users. Dulles, Va.-based AOL has a subscription base of 17 million users and 28 million AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) registrants. Juno plans to collaborate with AOL and offer a co-branded version of the AIM technology, company executives said.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

New York-based Juno would not say when the service would be available to customers. The company offers free dial-up Internet access and Web mail.

While AOL plans to put Juno on its buddy list, the company continues to block instant messages from Microsoft Network Messenger users. AOL logs off MSN users when they try to communicate with AIM messenger users.

Last week, AOL signed similar deals with MindSpring Enterprise, in Atlanta, and EarthLink Network, in Pasadena, Calif. It also has licensed its instant-messaging technology to Apple Computer, in Cupertino, Calif., and Lotus Development, in Cambridge, Mass.

In related news, Juno signed a deal with Mail.com on Monday to give its users access to Web e-mail.