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AOL Latin America Expands Puerto Rican Service By dc.internet.com Staff June 8, 2001 America Online Latin America, Inc. is expanding the AOL service in Puerto Rico, bringing local dial-up access to consumers across the Island. The expansion of the company's network gives AOL access to more than 90 percent of the island's residents and all major metropolitan areas. The AOL service in Puerto Rico offers consumers a choice of content and features specifically designed for the Puerto Rican marketplace, such as Spanish and English language content and local news. It is built upon the AOL US service, and offers personalization, e-mail, instant message and Buddy List features, parental controls, the My Calendar Service, message boards and built-in chat. In addition, members have access to free round-the-clock bilingual member services. Puerto Rican members will see a customized channel bar when they log on, highlighting local content available on five customized channels: Noticias, Deportes, Entretenimiento, Guia Local and Internacional. AOLA is the exclusive provider of AOL-branded services in Latin America and has quickly become one of the leading Internet and interactive services providers in the region with more than 750,000 members. The company launched its first service, America Online Brazil, in November 1999, and began as a joint venture of America Online, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc., and the Cisneros Group of Companies. Banco Itau, a leading Brazilian bank, is also a minority stockholder of AOL Latin America. The company currently operates services in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, a regional portal accessible at www.aola.com, and serves members of the AOL service in Puerto Rico.