Mumbai, December 8, 1998 : 123India.com today announced the launch of 123India.com Mail (http://mail.123india.com/), a free web based email service for Internet users. The 123India.com Mail solution will feature encryption based on the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, spam-blocking technology, and quick attachment downloads. 123India.com, India's Premier Search Engine (http://www.123india.com/), is the leading online navigational guide for Indian information on the web.

This service, launched at a time when the Internet revolution in India is just beginning, will give users one email address for life, whether they switch from one ISP to another, change jobs or change their access providers. 123India.com Mail caters to a wide spectrum of users: Business travellers who need constant and convenient access to email, college students who need to relocate quite often, professionals who change jobs but want to consistently stay in contact with friends and family and anyone looking for the convenience of a free email address which they can keep for life. It's anytime, anywhere capabilities will provide users with the convenience to get all their personal online communications in one place.

Unlike email provided by ISPs, which requires the use of a properly configured email program that is limited by the proprietary client software, 123India.com Mail is accessible from any computer that is connected to the Web and requires no special software. So, the users are able to access their mailbox anytime, from anywhere in the world with a web browser.

"Email is the killer application of the Internet and changing the way people communicate the world over. It is the most popular use of the Internet and a key channel of communication that is indispensable in today's fast-paced world," said Nalin Sharma, Brand Manager at 123India.com. "The addition of free email to 123India.com's excellent search features is targetted at creating a single destination for Indian information and all communication needs. We expect to add 500,000 free email accounts in the first year and increase this to around 5 million by the year 2002."

In addition to the regular email features for sending, receiving and managing mail, 123India.com Mail also includes the following features:

Permanent Email address for life: Your email address remains the same whether you change location, jobs or ISPs.

Convenience: Users can access their 123India.com Mail mailboxes from any computer in the world that is connected to the Internet. The user does not need to install any special software either.

Support of Rich Multimedia Features: Being web based, 123India.com Mail supports textual, audio-visual, HTML attachments as well as MIME documents both while sending and receiving mail.

Security: 123India.com Mail is based on the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) system, the leading Internet encryption technology. The system protects against unauthorised penetration. The user's mailbox is secure. Message attachments are screened to protect against viruses.

Speed: The system is designed to handle large volumes of email at fast speeds. Email attachments can be downloaded in three seconds.

Storage Space: Users can save up to 2.5 Megabytes of messages in their box. Messages stay in the system until the user deletes them. 123India.com Mail will send warnings to users when their box starts to get full.

Privacy: 123India.com Mail protects users from the distraction and nuisance of spam or unsolicited bulk mail, using advanced spam-blocking technology.

Vacation Autoresponder: Users can set up 123India.com Mail to send an automatic reply to all their incoming messages. They might use this feature if they were to go on vacation, and wanted to let people know that they won't be checking their email for a few days.  

About 123India.com:
123India.com, India's Premier Portal, is an India dedicated Internet media site that offers branded web content, serving Indians worldwide. As the leading Indian online navigational guide to the web, 123India.com is one of the largest guides in terms of users, database and reach amongst the Indian community on the Internet. Visit us at www.123india.com.