Less than three weeks ago Diba Inc., announced the first distributor and manufacturer for its Internet set-top boxes that can access the internet with any Internet service provider (ISP) via a television. Today the company announced that 13 of the largest U.S. ISPs, including AT&T WorldNet Service, Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, GTE, and IBM Global Services, have joined Diba's ISP Certification Program, which tests the services and verifies them as compatible with the Diba Information Appliance software platform, the company says.

With major ISPs having participated in the Certification Program, manufacturers can work with several service providers and customers will have more options.

"It represents sort of a precursor that ISPs are beginning to consider becoming distributors," said Joe Gillach, vice president of marketing for Diba. Service providers can be certified that they are compatible with the Diba platform, and then contract a manufacturer to make the product under their own brand name. Customers in turn will be able to choose the provider that offers the service and pricing plan best suited to their needs, said Gillach.

Information appliance products such as the set-top starter boxes allow users to connect to the Internet without the use of a computer. Gillach says this allows for much more flexibility than a WebTV system that without subscription to their service, renders the connection hardware useless. He says the Diba technology is unique because is allows for "the ability to freely switch between ISPs." Diba creates the software and technology that make this possible, and licenses other companies to manufacture the products that incorporate the technology.

Gillach says the Certification program is available to any ISP interested in providing Internet service to information appliances, such as the Internet-enabled TVs with set-top boxes, and smart phones which have a small LCD monitor that allow the telephone to be used as an e-mail terminal. Major ISPs that have already taken part in the program and had their Internet services tested and verified as information appliance-compatible include AT&T WorldNet Service, Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, Best Internet Communications, Concentric Network Corporation, Earthlink Network Inc., Epoch Networks Inc., GTE, IBM Global Services, MCI, Metricom, Pacific Bell internet Services, PSINet Inc., and Southwestern Bell Internet Services Inc.

In a press release announcing the names of the certified ISPs, Farzad Dibachi, president and CEO of Diba, compared ISP support for the information appliance platform to long distance telephone service. "In the same way that today's telephones work with any long distance carrier, information appliances need to work with any Internet service provider."

Because of the way Diba has built the software, most ISPs are compatible "right off the bat," said Gillach. "It is a simple, automated service for them to get certified."

ISPs wishing to take part in the free certification program should send e-mail to conness@diba.com.

Source: Newsbytes