[GTE Conference Call]
Well, guys, it was false labor. We can all go home and wait for the real thing :(( The purpose of the call was to announce Internet Connection advances at the subscriber level, not the infrastructure level.
For what it's worth, here's the transcript. The replay number was changed, so once I hear from Bill Kula with the new one, I'll post.
GTE Conference Call, 3-6-97.
At first they weren't going to let me join as it's for analysts and the press only. When I spoke to the representative from GTE and explained my position on the Silicon Investor, they gracially linked me in.
Bill Kula, Jeff Clark and Alex Coleman from GTE.
News on website www.gte.com
972-718-6924
Jeff Clark:
Call will help define actions we have taken to reach milestones. . .
Roadmap we are using to grow our business bigger and better. Only major local exchange carrier with internet presence. 100000active internet customers. GTE has 1M long distance customers.
Expansion plan. Double and in some cases quadruple by July some of dial-up hookups to Internet service.
When we began last year we designed to meet customer needs: savings, simplicity, and combined services.
Savings: $19.95 Internet offering. Also a bundling plan for long distance. 17.95. Several other plans for useage-based services.
Simplicity: easy to order. Call 800 no. and diskette walks them through sign-up process. 24-7 customer desk. GTE.net web site, too. FAQs. New services offered.
Single billing: key differentiators in our service. More than 80% of customers receive one bill.
Bundling services: Internet access in 381 markets. We offer ISDN to 98% of customers.
Sustained growth plan --- steadily and quietly becoming presence in Internet community. Why haven't we seen TV ads for this service? AOL has 8M customers. What's so significant about 100,000 customers? Each week thousands going online for the first time. They want easy and dependable service. GTE can effectively compete and win in crowded online market place. Demand for service is strong. Twice tripled capacity to keep up demand in sample markets.
Market expansion: will benefit current and future clients.
Equipment will be installed ---first in high-demand markets. Advertising more.
Jeff:
200,000 will go in over couple months up to June.
Speed: 28.8 and 33.6 later. In midst of upgrades to 33.6, UUNet is infrastructure vendor to install dial dedicated access. Not a major investment for GTE., but for UUNet.
Tim Green from Network World - When will 56K be available? They aren't yet prevalent in market. Once those issues are resolved, GTE will provide that service. Making dial pops compatible is issue. Wait and see when standard comes. Can it be made independent of UUNet? Well, we're tied to them.
Donna ? Teledot com: What sort of billing system are you using? 80% are billed on local telephone bill. For dedicated highspeed customers, we bill directly. We will evaluate different systems.
Information and Interactive Services report: 17.95 flat rate? What happens after year? Alex - goes to 19.95. How many local dial-up access numbers do you have now? Answer on homepage. Www.gte.net - list. Small company bundling free access service if you're long distance customer. Will you decrease down towards zero? Alex: we'll always entertain opportunities to bundle.
Sarasota Herald Tribune: Are you still evaluating ADSL for possible use? When ? Markets?
Currently we have trials in Seattle area and they're going very very well. We're evaluating when we can go ahead and take that to market. Forthcoming in future.
200,000 are dial up, not dedicated.
UUNet? Will it be exclusive with GTE? We work closely with them. We're confident of their capacity to meet needs.
Green: Hardware dial-up platform you're using? Currently using ASND modems in each dial pop.
Franklin Telecomm. How does it fit in?
[I missed some questions here, but they weren't pertinent to ADSL.]
I asked about ADSL and if there would be an announcement forthcoming. He said ADSL trials were being expanded and he wasn't prepared to make an announcement at this time. Someone else asked if they planned to deploy ADSL this year and he said yes, but wasn't able to comment further.
[There were a few more questions about advertising, and, again, they weren't pertinent to this discussion.]
I have a call in to Bill Kula now. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me more.
Cheers!
Pat |
