Founded in 1996, Juno has outlasted several competitors with its hybrid business model to become the third-largest ISP in the United States, behind America Online and EarthLink Network. The company recently cracked the 10 million sign-up mark, although only a fraction of those are listed as active subscribers. But for all the signs of momentum, Juno is at a crossroads.
Analysts are worried about the company's cash position.
A major deal last week will see Juno software bundled with IBM's personal computers, and more partnerships could follow. Juno also recently captured remnants of free ISPs that have been collapsing one by one. And this is not just in the access space. As a rule, if there's a market for a product, there's room for two or three. That was an interesting experiment but ultimately not a successful one.