Microsoft Corp.
said today it plans to launch its MSN
portal to an additional 24 countries, bringing the MSN site to a total of
31 countries.
The announcement was made today at a Forrester Research Inc. forum by Pete
Higgins, group vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Media Group.
The portals include: Argentina; Austria; Belgium; Brazil; Chile; China–
China/Hong Kong; China/Taiwan; Colombia; Denmark; Finland; Italy; Malaysia;
Mexico; Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Peru; Singapore; South
Africa; South Korea; Spain; Sweden; and Switzerland.
The company said there will be local versions of several MSN
services, such as MSN Hotmail, MSN Web Search, MSN Web Communities and
MSN Messenger Service, which are scheduled for availability in the first
half of 1999.
The global growth plan will be rolled-out on a market-by-market basis, and
the sites are to offer local content in 13 languages for a projected 120
million users, or as Microsoft said, “. . . representing more than 90% of the
estimated online population
worldwide.” Microsoft also said the worldwide expansion initiative will
more than quadruple its international distribution.
In addition to its U.S. site, Microsoft has services in Australia; Canada;
France; Germany; Japan; and the United Kingdom
Microsoft has been trying to play catch up to the other prominent portals,
such as Yahoo!, and Lycos, who already offer international sites.
Earlier this week Microsoft announced that MSN added 120 community areas to
its MSN Web Communities.
“The Web lifestyle is being realized all over the world, and Microsoft is
making a global
investment to help users organize the Web around people, interests and
services
that are important to them,” Higgins said. “Our goal for MSN is to help
people get
things done online wherever they are, in the U.S. or abroad. Microsoft will
invest in making MSN the most useful network of online services locally and
globally.”