Internet messaging and community software company Tribal Voice Inc has secured another ISP contract for its PowWow technology, with Argentina’s largest ISP, Ciudad Internet, which is part of the Grupo Clarin Co media group. Ciudad is licensing PowWow as the basis for its new instant messaging service, called Wow Gente Online, which it launched yesterday. This follows the December 1998 deal with AT&T Corp’s WorldNet ISP service, which uses PowWow as the basis for its IM Here instant messaging (12/16/98). The PowWow instant messaging technology is free, but the Scotts Valley, California company normally charges $50 per year to its peer-to-peer community server, which was devised by company founder John McAfee. In the AT&T deal, Tribal Voice claims that AT&T swallowed that charge for the first year of the contract at least, but Ciudad only wanted the IM part of PowWow. The community server enables groups to establish their own web-based communities.
