You’ve Got Mail! And a Few Phone Pitches

America Online Inc. said that next month it will start releasing its 8 million subscribers’ telephone numbers to some of its marketing partners.

The No. 1 online service will let companies with which it has marketing and online agreements use the phone lists so they can call customers to offer products and services. The company this month posted the new policy online.

The decision could annoy AOL customers who associate online services with anonymity, analysts said. Privacy on the Internet has become an issue that has attracted government scrutiny and was the subject of Federal Trade Commission hearings last month.

“It’s going to be nettlesome to some people,” said Patrick Keane, an analyst at Jupiter Communications, a market researcher. “It can’t help AOL’s reputation.”

AOL said it changed the policy as part of recent marketing agreements that let companies sell and advertise products and services online. This year, the company began using its customer base to attract partners, as it tries to generate more revenue from advertising and electronic commerce and less from subscription fees.

Part of the appeal for AOL’s marketing partners is that now they’ll be able to advertise online and through telemarketing, analysts said. Marketer CUC International Inc., which signed a three-year, $50-million agreement with AOL last month, will be using the telemarketing list, AOL said.

AOL already sells names and addresses to companies and is now opening that up to telephone numbers. Customers can request to be excluded from the telemarketing lists, the company said.

Telephone numbers will be released to companies that have contractual marketing and online agreements with AOL after the request is reviewed to ensure appropriateness, AOL said.

“We can refuse if we think the information isn’t in the best interest of our members,” said Tricia Primrose, an AOL spokeswoman.

The Dulles-based company has signed marketing agreements with companies including Tel-Save Holdings Inc., Sportsline USA Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and 1-800-Flowers.

Shares of AOL rose $1.13 to close at $66.38 on the New York Stock Exchange.