ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 1999--
Surfree.com's Internet Service Enabled by
Ascend Communications and PSINet
Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND), a leader in wide-area
networking (WAN) and Intelligent Networking (IN) solutions for
providers and users of the next generation public network, today
announced a unique Internet service business model based completely on
Ascend network wholesaling solutions.
Surfree.com, Inc., a full-service nationwide Internet service
provider (ISP) based in San Francisco, is the first ISP in history to
offer cost-effective dial-up Internet access to consumers on a
nationwide basis by using wholesale network services for 100 percent
of their network infrastructure. Ascend's market-leading MAX(TM)
access switches, B-STDX, CBX 500 and GX 550 core switches enable
Surfree.com to provide high quality, low price Internet access to
consumers through a wholesale network agreement with PSINet.
"Network wholesale solutions offered by Ascend and PSINet have
provided us with a solid foundation to build an Internet service
focused exclusively on quality service at a reasonable price," said
Peter Macey, vice president of sales and marketing for Surfee.com,
Inc.
"Our network wholesale relationship with PSINet enables us to
extend service geographically to a large number of cities very quickly
without a huge capital investment and ongoing maintenance costs.
Whereas other ISPs have to devote resources to their Network,
Surfree.com is able to focus on the most important aspects of the ISP
business, such as sales, marketing and customer support."
How Does Surfree.com Do It?
Enabled by Ascend's innovative Network Wholesale solution,
Surfree.com is leasing its entire Internet dial-up and backbone
network through PSINet. This allows Surfree.com to rely on one of the
top networks in the business to provide superior performance over a
larger geographic region than if they were to build a network of their
own. Surfree.com is also able to realize cost savings while gaining
incredible network flexibility and scalability.
"We are seeing increased demand from companies like Surfree.com
looking to leverage our Carrier and ISP Services Private Label
Program," said John Kraft, vice president of Carrier and ISP Services
at PSINet.
"Service providers and enterprise customers are realizing the
advantages of using wholesale network services and partnering with
PSINet to handle those network requirements. With our Private Label
Program an ISP can be up and running selling their own brand of
Internet service in as little as 30 days."
Surfree.com offers unlimited dial-up Internet access to more than
200 cities for $14.95 per month. In addition to 56K (V.90 compliant)
dial-up connections, members receive 24-hour toll-free customer and
technical support, Microsoft IE, Netscape Communicator, and
alternative NeoPlanet browsers, Web-accessible POP3 e-mail, 5MBs of
personal Web hosting space, and many other features.
"We have the most competitive Internet service offering in the
business," said Adam Portnoy, president and CEO of Surfree.com, Inc.
"Not only is our service great, but by outsourcing our Network, we are
far more scalable and profitable than other nationwide ISPs."
"By offering a Network Wholesaling solution, large service
providers like PSINet are taking advantage of a large new market
opportunity. This solution is also creating new business opportunities
and networking alternatives for both entrepreneurial ISPs like
Surfree.com and large enterprise customers," said Matt McGinnis,
Internet marketing manager, Ascend Communications, Inc.
"Through this evolution of the service provider market, Ascend's
wholesale network solutions are building new revenues for large
service providers and allow businesses like Surfree.com to provide
best-of-breed Internet services without the costly deployment or delay
of building a network. Surfree.com is able to grow their business
exponentially and focus its business on where it should be, its
customers!"
"The business of owning and operating a network is fundamentally
different than the business of selling services and supporting
customers. As service provider business models mature, the deployment
of network wholesale solutions has grown tremendously," said Hilary
Mine, executive vice president, Probe Research.
Ascend's Network Wholesale Solution
Purchasing ports from network wholesalers allows ISPs and
enterprise customers to focus on providing leading edge applications
and services, such as Internet access, Virtual Private Networking
(VPNs), Voice and Fax over IP, and core backbone solutions which are
enabled by Ascend's market leading core and access products.
Ascend's network wholesaling solution offers a significant
opportunity for new service revenue and profit for larger service
providers in an exploding Internet and public network industry. ISPs
and enterprises that use wholesale networks benefit from a defined
cost for network build-out, increased flexibility, additional advanced
service offerings, and the ability to focus on their customers or end
users.
About Surfree.com
Surfree.com is a leading nationwide provider of low-priced,
high-quality Internet access for consumers. Key technology partners
include C/NET, Critical Path, Microsoft, NetHelp International, and
PSINet. The company was launched in October 1997 and is headquartered
in San Francisco. For more information, please visit
surfree.com or call 415/977-0999.
About PSINet
Headquartered in Herndon, Va., PSINet is a global
facilities-based Internet Protocol (IP) data communications carrier
focused on the business marketplace. PSINet offers a broad set of
high-speed corporate LAN connectivity services supporting managed
security and guaranteed Internet, intranet, electronic commerce, Web
hosting services, and services for other carriers and ISPs.
PSINet operates an international state-of-the-art frame relay and
ATM-based, IP-optimized network consisting of over 500 POPs around the
world serving primary markets in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea,
Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. General PSINet
information can be obtained by e-mail at info@psi.com, or by accessing
psinet.com on the World Wide Web.
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