In 1996, AT&T chose Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 3 as the default browser for its new WorldNet internet service, despite Netscape Navigator then leading the browser market. The arrangement gave Microsoft prominent distribution through Windows 95 PCs and helped demonstrate how a default setting can shape competition and user behaviour.

WorldNet software was pre-installed on some manufacturer-supplied Windows 95 systems, with Netscape still offered as an alternative. AT&T’s former WorldNet vice-president said the decision was largely driven by Microsoft’s low price, while Microsoft later claimed its corporate browser use had more than tripled between August 1996 and January 1997. WorldNet became a major ISP before closing in 2010, while Internet Explorer dominated browsers for over a decade and Microsoft’s bundling practices later faced antitrust scrutiny.