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GTE aims for customers with DSL price cut
By Bloomberg News
Special to CNET News.com
November 11, 1999, 4:20 a.m. PT
IRVING--GTE, a local phone company that's being acquired by Bell Atlantic, said it
will waive certain fees for its high-speed Internet access service until December
31 in a bid to draw customers.
The price cut saves customers in 17 states who want Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL,
service as much as $390. It includes free installation, a DSL modem, and the waiving of a
$50 connection fee if the company's GTE.net access service is chosen.
DSL uses electronics to increase the capacity of ordinary
copper phone lines, making data transmission as much as
25 times faster than the best dial-up computer modem.
GTE and other local phone companies are offering DSL
service as an alternative to the faster Internet access
available through cable-television network lines. Giant long
distance company AT&T has spent billions of dollars to
buy and upgrade cable networks to offer voice, video, and
data.
"Customer demand for super-fast Internet access is
exploding," Rob McCoy, president of retail markets for
GTE Network Services, said in a statement.
GTE said it will waive its network access fees of $99 to
$340 for residential customers in its local service areas
who sign up for DSL through one of its 248 Internet-service provider partners.
GTE Internetworking also will eliminate a one-time $199 installation charge for
business-grade DSL service, the company said.
Irving, Texas-based GTE's shares rose 0.88 to 74.25 in New York Stock Exchange trading
yesterday, while shares of New York-based Bell Atlantic rose 0.75 to 63.63.
Copyright 1999, Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved. |
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