The result is a plethora of new services. Deutsche Post has become a leading Internet bank in Germany, with more than 1 million customers. The Dutch Royal PTT is getting into online billing–it already processes more than 10 million transactions a year. Britain’s Royal Mail is conducting trials for personalized post codes specific to individuals, which would allow paper or electronic messages to find you wherever you happen to be. Deutsche Post will soon launch postage that can be printed directly from a personal computer. Digitally encrypted, registered e-letters may soon allow posts to deliver sensitive material, like health records, electronically.
Deutsche Post has even become an investor in e-business. Last November the recently privatized company launched a 50 million euro venture fund for start-ups that complement its own businesses. So far it has funded a U.S. supply-chain software maker, a Swiss data-management firm and a European health portal, which will help hospitals cut procurement costs and improve delivery. These days, even the mailman knows that diversification is good business.
