Technology News Fri, 07 May 1999, 9:15am EDT
AOL, U.S. Bells in Talks on High-Speed Online Service, WSJ Says By Jonathan Make
Dulles, Virginia, May 7 (Bloomberg) -- America Online Inc., an Internet service provider, is in talks with U.S. local phone companies to start a nationwide network for digital subscriber line -- or DSL -- high-speed Internet service, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed sources. AOL, which won't bid for MediaOne Group Inc. for a cable broadband network, is talking with companies such as GTE Corp., U S West Inc. and BellSouth Corp., and is also talking with personal computer makers like Compaq Corp. to make purchasing DSL easier. AOL President Bob Pittman told the Journal that DSL is a ''fabulous technology,'' and customers already ''think of the Internet as a telephone service.''
AOL, the largest online service, and No. 2 U.S. local phone company SBC Communications Inc. said in March that they'll offer high-speed Internet access to AOL members in western and southern states. (WSJ Interactive Edition 5/7 wsj.com)
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