Fujitsu Ltd plans to merge its InfoWeb internet service with the online information service Nifty Serve, owned and run by Fujitsu subsidiary Nifty Corp. InfoWeb boasts 620,000 subscribers and claims to be Japan’s largest ISP, while Nifty claims it is the nation’s largest online service provider, serving 2.73 million subscribers. When the services are formally combined later this year, executives believe @nifty will be Japan’s largest provider of online information services, with a projected subscriber base of 3.5 million. That’s just the beginning: Fujitsu has set itself a target of 10 million @nifty subscribers in Japan by 2004.
Nifty Serve was co-founded by Fujitsu and Nisho Iwai Corp in 1986; InfoWeb followed in 1994. Anticipating further growth in internet and online service provision, Fujitsu acquired the outstanding shares in Nifty Corp on March 31 1999. @nifty will be positioned as a consumer-oriented service provider. Fujitsu promises to transfer InfoWeb and Nifty Serve subscriber accounts to @nifty without affecting current user IDs or personal home pages. Nifty Serve’s online service will also continue in its present form.
