EMBARQ has begun moving existing residential EMBARQ™ High Speed Internet and EMBARQ™ Business-Class DSL customers with EarthLink e-mail accounts to a new, enhanced EMBARQ-branded Internet portal. As part of the transition, embarqmail.com replaces earthlink.net e-mail addresses.

Benefits of the new MyEMBARQ™ portal include an innovative e-mail service with unlimited mailbox storage and award-winning online security tools providing advanced virus and anti-spyware protection. The new myembarq.com and biz.myembarq.com homepages offer instant access to e-mail, search, news, weather, sports, financial information, 20 channels of commercial-free radio and more.

"We want to make this transition as simple and convenient as possible," said Mark Kenyon, EMBARQ vice president-consumer marketing. "An easy, three-step process enables customers to upgrade to their free MyEMBARQ™ homepage, e-mail account and security services. Through Oct. 31, we will help make it seamless by forwarding e-mail received at the customer's old EarthLink e-mail address to their new embarqmail.com address."

The migration process automatically moves customers' stored e-mail, contact lists and folders to their new embarqmail accounts. Customers also can choose to have their entire contact list automatically notified about the upgrade to their new embarqmail account. Customers with earthlink.net e-mail addresses also will be given the option to keep their existing usernames. EMBARQ™ technical support is available to enhance the customer's online experience.

EMBARQ partnered with Synacor, a leading provider of Internet tools and portals, to create a robust new homepage environment, and Zimbra, the leading provider of open source collaboration and messaging software, to launch a creative and powerful e-mail tool.

"With the new MyEMBARQ™ portal, customers will receive a completely new level of access to their content and personalization that will only continue to improve as new value-added services roll out," said Ron Frankel, president and CEO of Synacor. "Synacor's portal platform and proprietary ID authentication technology enables EMBARQ customers to have an enriched online experience each time they log in."

Migration-eligible customers will be prompted to make the upgrade when they log on to their earthlink.net portal. They can see the new portal page and e-mail features by going to myembarq.com and clicking on "Tour MyEMBARQ™" at the top of the page.

"We're excited to partner with EMBARQ and Synacor to provide EMBARQ customers a world-class messaging and collaboration solution." said Satish Dharmaraj, CEO of Zimbra. "The innovative capabilities offered by the new EMBARQ(TM) service position it as a clear leader relative to other service providers' offerings."

After Oct. 31, EMBARQ will discontinue support of the EarthLink product. Additional issues relating to business customers will be handled on a case-by- case basis. Customers can contact EMBARQ for more information.

"Our customers rely on us to provide common sense innovation," Kenyon said. "With this transition, they will experience significant Internet enhancements and value-added services that are among industry-leaders. Other companies may be able to offer one or two similar features, but we know of no others that offer all of these new features with high-speed internet in one package at a price that does not change for as long as you have it."

For more information, read the EMBARQ press release.