Microsoft announced additional broadband provider partners for the Xbox® LiveTM service - the ultimate high-speed gaming arena and the first and only integrated community sharing in exhilarating, always-connected broadband gaming experiences.

As part of the Xbox Live Compatibility Programme, the 22 new broadband partners are working with Xbox to provide offers for their customers over the coming months, and are joined in the programme by 50 other broadband providers in North America, Japan and Europe.

The new partners are from the eight countries that will be launching Xbox Live in October: Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Korea, Norway and Switzerland. They include:
Australia: OptusNet (Cable), Telstra Big Pond (DSL/Cable)
Austria: UPC/chello (cable), Telekom Austria (DSL)
Denmark: TDC (DSL/cable), Telia Stofa (cable)
Finland: Elisa (DSL), Helsinki Television (HTV Cable) (cable), TeliaSonera Finland (DSL)
Ireland: Eircom (DSL), Esat BT (DSL), NTL (cable)
Korea: KT (DSL)
Norway: UPC/chello (cable), NextGenTel (DSL), Telenor (DSL),
Switzerland: Bluewin (DSL), sunrise (DSL)

Microsoft is committed to continuing the development of broadband partnerships for Xbox Live and will be expanding on the current partnership with Wanadoo (France Telecom) to cover the Netherlands, Spain and the UK (Freeserve) as well as adding Wind in Italy.

The Compatibility Programme helps ensure gamers can find broadband packages that allow them to connect to Xbox Live quickly and intuitively, making it even easier to enjoy the fast-action, always-on broadband gaming experience that is Xbox Live. Participating broadband partners will work with Xbox to ensure compatibility of their broadband service with Xbox Live, co-develop connectivity packages and co-marketing initiatives, and work to ensure playing and connecting Xbox Live is as intuitive as possible.

"Building and maintaining great relationships with partners such as broadband providers and other third parties is key to the success of Xbox Live" said Michel Cassius, senior director, Xbox platform and marketing. "Xbox Live is a killer app for gamers and a boon to broadband providers, helping to drive broadband adoption. Together with these partners we will combine exceptional gaming experiences, a world-class service and a viable business model so all parts of the online ecosystem thrive".

Xbox Live, currently available in the US, Canada, Japan, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, is the most successful paid online gaming service with more subscribers than any competitive paid online gaming site.

Xbox is growing the online gaming community with Xbox Live. In less than 11 months Xbox Live, the only dedicated broadband online gaming service, has taken off with more than 500,000 people playing on Xbox Live worldwide and participating in more than 15 million gaming sessions every week. Xbox Live has hosted more games to date than the number of games played in the histories of the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball combined. Fifty Live-enabled Xbox games are expected by the end of this calendar year and 100 by the end of FY'04.