Johannesburg, 29 Jan 2002
Local ISP World Online has introduced a range of services that allow its 150 000 subscribers to access their e-mail regardless of their location. The services include:
. A single national dial-up number at local call rates;
. WebMail, which manages your e-mail account at any Internet workstation;
. WorldMail, which directs Internet access to your mailbox;
. WorldTraveller, which enables global roaming packages for e-mail; and
. SpeechMail, which gives you access to your mailbox from any telephone.
"Our subscribers can now pick up their e-mail no matter where they are," says Derek Hunt, World Online GM for sales.
"These services are convenient and cost-effective, making them ideal for people who need to check their e-mails regularly, but who are either on the move or don`t always have access to the Internet. They form part of our ongoing strategy to provide our customers with solutions that are simple, convenient and functional."
World Online has made a single dial up number available for laptop users. The national single POP (point-of-presence) access number, 086000 7249, means that no matter where subscribers are in SA, they can access their World Online e-mail and Internet services at the cost of a local telephone call.
Hunt says World Online currently facilitates the sending and receiving of up to half a million e-mails daily on its infrastructure.
"E-mail is becoming increasingly popular. We want to ensure that it is truly ubiquitous, easy to use, and highly accessible to people."
With My World Online and My WebMail, subscribers can use any computer with Internet access to read, send and forward e-mail by going to <http://my.worldonline.co.za>. The site features My WebMail, which is accessible via any Web browser from anywhere around the globe, 24 hours a day.
WorldMail, another World Online service, offers subscribers a convenient way of reading and sending e-mail from any computer, anywhere in the world, without requiring any e-mail software, and without dialling up to their World Online account. WorldMail also allows users to delete large, unwanted e-mails straight off the server, without having to download them first. Subscribers simply enter their username and password.
The ISP has also introduced WorldTraveller, an international roaming service for all World Online subscribers. World Traveller lets you use all World Online services without having to pay high telephone call costs. It allows you to collect your e-mail and surf the Web at the applicable local or long-distance rates with a small additional charge.
"Previously, subscribers travelling abroad had to dial a South African number to access the Internet, making reading and sending e-mail an expensive exercise," notes Hunt. "World Online has now joined a group of ISPs from around the globe that have placed their networks at the disposal of other partners` subscribers. World Online subscribers can access the Internet at minimal cost once they have their own World Online log-in name and password."
To use the service, Windows 95, 98 and NT users can download the Travelkit onto their laptops, and they must ensure they have signed up for a roaming account.
World Online also offers SpeechMail, which allows users to listen and reply to their e-mail messages over the phone, without requiring access to a PC. "SpeechMail enables subscribers to check their e-mail whether they are in a car, a hotel room, or at home," says Hunt. "While remote e-mail access used to require investment in expensive equipment like laptops, PDAs and WAP enabled cellphones, with SpeechMail all you need is a telephone or cell phone. Because you can listen and reply to messages with voice commands, you don`t have to type replies while you are on the move."
SpeechMail lets the user know how many messages there are, what the headers are, who they are from and when they were sent. The user can navigate using speech or the telephone keypad. It recognises voice instructions, speaks the contents of e-mails to the user, and replies to the sender with a recording of the user`s voice. Apart from telephone access, no special equipment is required to use World Online SpeechMail.
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