| |
FlashNet Answers Customer Demand for DSL Service;
Provides Texas Customers With Latest Broadband Technology for Faster Internet
Access
FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- FlashNet Communications, Inc.
(Nasdaq: FLAS) announced today the availability of Digital Subscriber Line
(DSL) service in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, with DSL service in Austin,
Houston and San Antonio available later in the fourth quarter. DSL is a
broadband technology, which allows Internet access up to 50 times faster than
traditional dial-up modems. DSL provides high-speed access to Web-delivered
multimedia content such as movies, music and live broadcasts, reduces download
and upload times for large electronic files, and enables quicker load times
for Internet sites.
"We are adding DSL to our service offerings in response to our customers'
strong demand for high-speed Internet services," said FlashNet Chief Executive
Officer and Director Scott Leslie. "Despite our historically aggressive
pricing strategy, our customers who are overwhelmingly higher income and
highly net-savvy, should quickly move up to DSL. By providing this solution,
we give our customers the ability to become more productive in their use of
the Internet, whether their priority is conducting business online or
leisurely Web surfing. Our goal is to be recognized as a premier provider of
broadband Internet access and other value-added, IP-based services."
Under pinning FlashNet's commitment to top-level broadband service is the
company's partnership with Redback Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: RBAK). FlashNet
chose Redback's Subscriber Management System(TM) 1000 due to the platform's
best-in-class scalability and performance, and Redback's reputation for
service and support.
"FlashNet's initial rollout of DSL services in its core markets is key
because of its large concentration of existing subscribers who are looking for
high-speed Internet access," said Larry Blair, vice president of marketing at
Redback. "The use of the Redback solution allows top-level service providers
like FlashNet to minimize their infrastructure costs and concentrate on giving
customers seamless deployment of broadband value-added services."
DSL service is available from FlashNet in the Dallas/Fort Worth area
beginning October 20 to customers in the Southwestern Bell territory.
Packages start at $49.95 per month for consumer access, with speeds of
1.5 mb/s downstream and 128 kb/s upstream. For a limited time, FlashNet is
waiving the $150.00 set-up fee. Existing FlashNet customers can easily
convert from their dial-up plan to FlashNet's DSL plan. DSL will be available
to Dallas/Fort Worth customers in the GTE territory later this quarter.
Although DSL service is now offered only in a limited area, FlashNet will
offer the service in core FlashNet markets in the Southwest later in the
fourth quarter. The first markets to obtain service will be Austin, Houston
and San Antonio. As consumers and small businesses begin to realize the value
of broadband Internet access, the demand for DSL access will grow, and
FlashNet is preparing to meet that demand with an aggressive expansion plan in
its core markets. FlashNet's partnerships with companies such as Redback,
Southwestern Bell and GTE will support this expansion plan, and reinforce the
company's commitment to provide high-speed, hassle-free Internet access.
About FlashNet
FlashNet Communications, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the largest
Internet service providers in the United States, serving approximately
244,000 residential and small-business customers nationwide (as of
September 30, 1999) with a complete suite of access, communications and
content solutions. FlashNet continues to lead the industry with marketing
innovations and has developed an outstanding reputation for customer service.
For more information, visit FlashNet's Web site at www.flash.net or call
1-888-FLASHNET.
SOURCE FlashNet Communications, Inc.
-0- 10/20/1999
|
|
