Vidotron Adds Free E-Mail

MONTREAL - Vidéotron Communications Inc.
said it has deployed PowerTV Inc.'s
SofaMAIL electronic-mail application to about 1.6 million customers here, in what it calls the largest commercial e-mail offering over hybrid fiber-coax lines.

Vidéotron said it is offering SofaMAIL free to customers who upgrade to digital and purchase an infrared keyboard. The MSO is using PowerTV parent Scientific-Atlanta Inc.'s "Explorer" set-tops.