Launches Consumer AIM (r) Voice Conferencing by Lightbridge To Help Millions of AOL(r) Instant Messenger (tm) (AIM(r)) Users Call Home for the HolidaysDulles, VA December 2, 2004 America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today announced the launch of the consumer version of its AIM (r) Voice Conferencing service (AVC) along with a special holiday offer of 500 free AVC minutes for each new AVC user. Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing by Lightbridge (r) is a presence-enabled group calling service that modernizes the 'party line' by making it easy to gather to 15 friends and family members for a live, multi-party phone call right from the AIM (r) Buddy List feature.
The new Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing service lets users see if friends and family members are online and available to chat, and then invite them to a group call with just a few easy clicks. AVC calls are conducted over regular telephone lines, and there are no dial-ins or PIN numbers to remember. The service uses Lightbridge's GroupTalk (tm) dial-out conferencing technology, which places toll-free calls directly to participants on either landlines or mobile phones.'Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing by Lightbridge makes it easy to connect with loved ones this holiday season, even if they are scattered throughout the country,' said Edmund Fish, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Messaging, America Online, Inc. 'To help bring families together, we are extremely pleased to offer AIM users 500 free AVC minutes. There's no better way to reconnect with old friends or round up the gang to share holiday cheer.' With Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing, AIM users can invite friends and family members to join a group call from wherever they may be. The service can send invitations through the AIM (r) service to a personal computer, mobile phone or PDA, or via recorded voice to any phone be it at home, in the office or on the road. AIM users can even include friends who don't use the AIM service even if they are in a busy shopping mall or en route to holiday festivities as long as they know that friend's landline or mobile phone number. 'Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing is a natural extension of the at-work conferencing service we launched together with AOL in June of this year,' said Kevin Thornton, vice president and general manager, Enhanced Services, Lightbridge, Inc. 'Our on-demand, dial-out group calling model translates well into everyday life whenever families, old friends or social groups seek to come together. We are very pleased to offer this easy-to-use service to extended families, soccer teams, book clubs, alumni groups and more.'Pricing and Availability:
Effective today, the Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing service can be accessed via AIM.com and through the Communications Tools addition to the AIM 5.9 Buddy List feature. The service launches with a promotional offer for 500 free AVC minutes for new AVC users. AIM Voice Conferencing minutes ('AVC minutes') are counted on a 'per minute, per user' basis in which the total number of minutes spent on the call is multiplied by the number of call participants. The allotment of 500 free promotional AVC minutes must be used with 30 days of AVC registration.Rates for AVC minutes thereafter are charged at 0.15 cents each (per minute, per user) and are purchased in advance in increments of 20 dollars, 50 dollars or 100 dollars. Depending on their service agreement, users who receive AVC calls on mobile devices may incur charges from their mobile service provider.New AIM users, as well as users with version 5.5 (or earlier) of the AIM software, can go to www.aim.com to download and install version 5.9 of the AIM (r) software. Once the installation is complete, users click the 'Add Tools' link at the base of their AIM Buddy List feature. The 'Select Tools' panel will pop up and allow them to select the Communication Tools which provide one-click access to AIM Voice Conferencing.The AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service (www.aim.com) is at the center of one of the largest and most active communities online, and is available for use on computers, mobile phones and other handheld devices. Supported by a network infrastructure that handles nearly two billion instant messages each day, the AOL Instant Messenger service makes it possible for people around the world to communicate with each other via text, audio or video in real-time, and to engage in other shared activities, such as casual gaming, video instant messaging and picture-sharing.
About America Online Inc.
America Online Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services Web brands Internet technologies and e-commerce services.
About Lightbridge
Lightbridge Inc. (NASDAQ:LTBG) is a leading analytics, decisioning and e-commerce company that businesses trust to manage customer transactions. Lightbridge adds value to fraud screening, credit qualification, payment authorization, and enhanced voice services. Lightbridge solutions leverage intelligent automated systems and human expertise, delivered primarily through the efficiencies and cost savings of an outsourced business model. Businesses around the world use Lightbridge to make smarter decisions, deliver better services, provide secure payments, reduce costs and enhance the lifetime value of their customers.
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