Sun-Netscape Alliance iPlanet Messaging Software Sales Exceed 60 Million Seat Mark and Span Six Continents.

PALO ALTO & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 1999--

Global Service Providers Fuel Alliance's

Rise to Top of Internet-based

Messaging Market

The Sun-Netscape Alliance today announced that combined sales of its iPlanet messaging server products, Sun Internet Mail Server(TM) software and Netscape(TM) Messaging Server, passed the 60 million seat mark in June 1999. Global service providers in six of the world's seven continents, including industry leaders like Frontier Communications (see today's related announcement), Telefonica and MWeb, have driven this explosive sales growth by choosing Alliance iPlanet branded messaging products to provide carrier-class availability and scalability to subscribers, business customers and employees.

"With two of the leading industry messaging solutions -- Sun Internet Mail Server and Netscape Messaging Server -- the Sun-Netscape Alliance holds a key spot in the outsourcing and application hosting market, which is enjoying triple digit growth," said Sara Radicati, CEO of The Radicati Group, Inc. "In fact, we see revenue for proprietary managed email systems completely phased out by the year 2003."

Sun-Netscape Solutions Drive the Net Economy

"Alliance customers like Frontier, Telefonica and MWeb are leveling the playing field for competing in the Net Economy by making Internet-based messaging, 24x7 reliability, and global anywhere, anytime access available to every business," said Dr. Stuart Wells, senior vice president, infrastructure products at the Sun-Netscape Alliance. "Previously, these services were luxuries that only the biggest companies with their own IT organizations could afford. The outstanding growth we're experiencing, as well as our strong number one position in the market, is proof that Alliance software is a platform of choice for the Net Economy."

Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Users Stick to Telefonica Web

Email

Telefonica, the world's 12th largest telecommunications operator, turned to the Sun-Netscape Alliance and Netscape Messaging Server 4.1 software to offer users personal email accounts that are accessible from any Web browser.

"With more than 1,000,000 customers and growing throughout Spain, Portugal and South America depending on 24x7 email services, we needed a reliable messaging server that could support the large demand for our services," said the IT director of Telefonica Interactiva. "Additionally, we wanted to make our email service even more 'sticky.' The Netscape Messaging Server's advertising integration functionality keeps subscribers coming back to Ole!, while also helping us drive additional revenue by cross selling value-added services."

MWeb Serves Up Email Safari Style in South Africa

MWeb is South Africa's largest Internet on-line service provider and a subsidiary of MIH Limited (Nasdaq: MIHL), the NASDAQ and Amsterdam Stock Exchange listed international television platform operator and software technology group. MWeb supplies South Africa with Internet, wireless, and outsourcing services based on the Sun Internet Mail Server platform.

"We recently moved our messaging infrastructure to Sun Internet Mail Server in order to improve quality of service to our customers for critical communications," said Simon Goddard, Director, MWeb New Business Development. "Even during peak access times with tens of thousands of our users simultaneously checking and sending email, our systems aren't even breaking a sweat. For the first time, this gives us a commerce-ready platform with plenty of growing room to expand our business with value-added services."

Sun-Netscape Alliance iPlanet(TM) Messaging Software is the platform of choice for service providers in six continents around the world, including Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Here's just a partial list of the customers enabling Internet messaging by standardizing on Sun Internet Mail Server and Netscape Messaging Server: -0-

Bluewindow/Swisscom        Interpath
United Messaging           Infoseek
Intellivoice/Premiere      MegsInet
Cegetel                    Euskaltel
Retevision                 CTC
Alcatel                    Telefonica
Pagic.net                  MWeb
HK Telcom Taiwan           OzEmail

Other telecommunications giants like Premiere Technologies are using Sun-Netscape Alliance iPlanet messaging software to deliver unified messaging services to businesses and consumers worldwide.

"As Premiere Technologies continues to excel as a leading Web-based communications company, our partnership with an industry leader like the Alliance will help us strengthen our unified messaging network," said Boland T. Jones, founder, chairman and CEO, Premiere Technologies. "With the initial success of our Orchestrate unified messaging products, we're glad we have a partner that provides us a scalable, network-based solution as we continue to rollout Orchestrate worldwide."

About Sun-Netscape Alliance iPlanet Messaging Software

The Sun-Netscape Alliance offers two of the industry's most scalable and reliable standards-based messaging solutions. Sun Internet Mail Server software is a robust software solution for helping enable customers to profitably host messaging services and lays the foundation for other services and legacy mail integration. Netscape Messaging Server 4.1 serves enterprises and Web-based portal communities, allowing them to offer messaging services and helping them boost market share and build brand equity.

About the Sun-Netscape Alliance

America Online, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. formed the Sun-Netscape Alliance to provide easy to deploy, comprehensive enterprise and e-commerce solutions to business partners and other companies competing in today's Net Economy. The alliance iPlanet product portfolio provides customers with the industry's most scalable, integrated infrastructure software and a family of production ready e-commerce applications. The products are offered on the industry's most widely available product platforms, including DEC, HP, IBM, Linux, SGI, Microsoft Windows, and Sun. The alliance software product portfolio includes messaging and calendar, collaboration, web, application, directory, and certificate servers. The alliance also offers a family of production-ready applications for e-commerce, including commerce exchange, procurement, selling, and billing. For more information, visit www.iplanet.com

About America Online, Inc.

Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 17 million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members; several leading Internet brands including ICQ and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; and the Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers. Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, the Company develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer(TM)," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ "SUNW"), to its position as a leading provider of hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $11 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at www.sun.com.

Note to Editors: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Sun Internet Mail Server and The Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Netscape is a registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries. Other product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.