Two major players in the internet world have announced a new strategic alliance that could result in a more innovative online experience for consumers.

AT&T and Yahoo! said that the agreement would create new advertising-based revenue opportunities for both companies. They added that these would be generated from display capabilities from either mobile handsets or PCs.

A major part of the deal involves the att.net portal, which will run on My Yahoo! and Yahoo! Mail platforms in the near future. Once the new att.net portal launches, any AT&T customer, even those without AT&T internet service, will be able to access the new web portal and e-mail services at no additional charge.

"Our goal is to connect our customers to their worlds, wherever they live and work," explained Randall Stephenson, chairman of AT&T.

"This new agreement with Yahoo! reinforces AT&T's leadership in wireless and broadband and enables both companies to bring their respective strengths to the table to benefit AT&T's customers."

Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! added: "The combination of Yahoo's innovative mobile and PC applications and advertising solutions, with AT&T's leadership in customer connectivity, mobility and robust networks once again raises the bar for the entire industry and further establishes Yahoo! as a starting point for consumers on the internet."