Yahoo!, BT Meld Access, Content

Portal player Yahoo! has widened the scope of an earlier deal with the United Kingdom's largest Internet service provider, British Telecommunications. Financial terms were not disclosed. Later this year, the companies will launch "BT Yahoo! Broadband" giving customers high-speed Internet access bundled with browser, personalized homepages, and other services, including streaming news and entertainment. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! has been trotting out other premium services including shopping, dating and video e-mail offerings, which could find their way into the co-branded BT service. The companies will also develop services around Yahoo!'s instant messaging product and will upgrade BT's e-mail offering with Yahoo! features. A dial-up access offering is planned too, though like all content and access companies, the focus is broadband, which allows for the delivery of paid services that can boost revenues and profits. Yahoo! and BT will mount a "significant" joint marketing effort to brand the service, which replaces BT's Openworld offering. Yahoo! spokesman Scott Morris said specifics are not set, the push would be in addition to a joint marketing iniative earlier this year.