EarthLink Inc. Internet services
will be featured on Hewlett-Packard
Co.’s personal computer line up just in time for the forthcoming
holiday sales surge.
The nation’s second largest Internet service provider Thursday struck a
national distribution deal with Hewlett-Packard ,
allowing consumers easy access to EarthLink’s Internet
services when they plug-in their new personal computer system.
The deal puts EarthLink in a premier partner position as the leading ISP
featured across all HP Pavilion home personal computer sales channels.
John Kortier, EarthLink vice president of channel sales, said the two
companies share a commitment to providing customers with quality products
and services.
“Through expanded distribution in Hewlett-Packard’s sales channels, we will
target an estimated 43 percent of the 14 million U.S. households that plan
to purchase a new home PC and get online,” Kortier said.
Sam Szteinbaum, Hewlett-Packard North America consumer computing business
manager, said consumer demand for Internet access continues to be the
primary motivation for buying a new personal.
“A direct link to the Internet is among the top reasons why people purchase
home personal computers,” Szteinbaum said.
Customers who sign up for EarthLink Internet service will receive 30 days
of free Internet service, with no start-up fees. New subscribers will have
access to a co-branded Hewlett-Packard, EarthLink personal start page that
is easy for members to customize to suit their personal tastes.
The companies indicated that additional incentive offers and cooperative
marketing efforts that would be initiated later this year.
EarthLink currently provides Internet services to more than 4.2 million
users in the U.S. The company recently picked up Reston, Virginia-based ISP
OneMain.com in a move that extended
its services into rural and smaller metropolitan areas nationwide and added
OneMain.com’s 762,000 subscribers to EarthLink’s subscriber base.