AOL, Bell Atlantic offer high-speed Internet access
DULLES, Va., Jan 13 (Reuters) - America Online Inc.
and U.S. local phone giant Bell Atlantic Corp. on
Wednesday said they agreed to offer high-speed Internet access
over Bell phone lines in an alliance that marks AOL's
breakthrough into the world of broadband Internet access.
In a statement, America Online said it plans to offer Bell
Atlantic's Infospeed DSL access as a premium upgrade to AOL's
standard Internet service in Bell Atlantic's local region,
which covers the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Virginia.
The program, due to be launched this summer, would be AOL's
first commercial offer of high-speed Internet access. AOL also
is in national tests of high-speed services with MCI WorldCom
Inc. and GTE Corp. , a spokeswoman said.
Bell Atlantic is retrofiting its existing phone network
with technology that links computer users to the Internet at
speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second, or more than 20 times
faster than the dial-up connections most AOL members now use.
The companies said the new high-speed Internet service will
be available in major Bell Atlantic markets as the technology
is put in place, with 7.5 million homes covered by the end of
1999, and more than 14 million by the end of the year 2000.
AOL said it will be announcing pricing when it kicks off
service this summer, but the upgrade is expected to cost AOL
members less than $20 extra per month, on top of the current
$21.95 monthly full-service charge.
((-- Eric Auchard, New York newsdesk, 212-859-1840)) |
