Paramount Digital Entertainment announced today that it has joined forces with popular ISP Earthlink to provide a new Trek themed internet service.
"We are pleased to offer our fans this ground breaking way to make Star Trek part of their everyday lives online," said PDE President Leonard Washington. "In EarthLink we have a partner that is highly regarded for its reliable Internet access and exceptional customer service. Combine that with StarTrek.net's unique subscriber-only Star Trek features, and you've got an Internet access service Star Trek fans will find hard to resist."
The service will offer a Star Trek themed browser, a startrek.net email address, customisation options and access to exclusive content. It will be available for dial-up and high speed connections to users in the United States and Canada.
This is not the first time Paramount has tried to use the Star Trek to set up a new internet service. In April 2000, the company launched the Star Trek Communicator, a Star Trek-themed instant messenger service, but it died a quick death and is no longer supported. Last year the official web site also stopped offering Trek email addresses when its partner in the service, mail.com, collapsed.
The idea of using Star Trek content to lure in customers to an ISP is also not a new one. When Microsoft launched its MSN service, it signed a contract with Paramount to make the official Star Trek site available only to MSN subscribers. However, the move sparked massive protests and the official site was soon turned into the current, freely accessible StarTrek.com site
Startrek.net
