AT&T Corp has announced two new services to enhance its extranet offerings. The first is IP EDI, which enables companies to send EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) messages over the AT&T IP backbone, which it claims will cost between 30% and 50% less than current value-added networks. The service converts the EDI messages into emails to enable them to be sent to any internet address. AT&T also has an EDI switch program to enable easy transition from a company’s existing VAN supplier. IP EDI is available now. The second part of the announcement is a web-to-fax service that enables users to delivers faxes from a browser interface. Text and graphic images can be delivered to any faxmachine and there is also a bulk service that can handle up to 20,000 faxes simultaneously. The web to fax service is in beta now and will roll out next quarter. AT&T also chose to re-launch its enhanced fax services it announced in March (03/12/98), which does not work over the web, but instead sits on a LAN. The re- launch comes despite the company claiming that it is selling very well.
