Year 2000 Tests Succeed, Compaq Beats Forecasts, Lycos Gains Traction in Internet Search

Strategic Insights -

Year 2000 tests conducted by BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Corp. have reportedly achieved a 100 percent success rate, ensuring uninterrupted telephone calls in 2000. Meanwhile, Compaq Computer has revealed its financial details, meeting scaled-back forecasts despite a weak first quarter. Additionally, Lycos Inc. has surpassed Yahoo! in terms of number of visitors to its World Wide Web sites.

Key Takeaways:

  • BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Corp. conducted nearly 500 Year 2000 tests in five interconnected labs, achieving a 100 percent success rate, confirming that telephone calls will go through in 2000.
  • The test, which began in September 1998, demonstrates the companies' commitment to ensuring uninterrupted communication services in the new millennium.
  • Compaq Computer's first-quarter profit of $281 million, or 16 cents a share, met newly diminished forecasts, indicating a sharp improvement from the first quarter of 1998.
  • Lycos Inc. surpassed Yahoo! in terms of number of visitors to its World Wide Web sites, attracting 31.9 million individual users in March, compared with Yahoo!'s 31.3 million users.
  • The increased viewership for Lycos, which operates Tripod and HotBot, paves the way for the company to attract more advertising revenue.
  • Compaq's financial results, which include a 66 percent increase in first-quarter revenues from a year ago, to $9.42 billion, demonstrate the company's resilience despite the ouster of its CEO, Eckhard Pfeiffer.

Statistics:

  • 100%: Success rate of Year 2000 tests conducted by BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Corp.
  • 500: Number of Year 2000 tests conducted
  • September 1998: Date when the test began
  • 281 million: Compaq Computer's first-quarter profit
  • 16 cents: Compaq Computer's first-quarter earnings per share
  • 31.9 million: Number of individual users visiting Lycos' Internet sites in March
  • 31.3 million: Number of individual users visiting Yahoo!'s Internet sites in March
  • 66%: Increase in Compaq Computer's first-quarter revenues from a year ago, to $9.42 billion

Sources:

  • Dow Jones News Service
  • Bloomberg News
  • Associated Press