Re: Qwest + US West / Cisco -- DSL "On Demand"
Upstream I wrote, "I believe it also said somewhere that US West has 50% of the current DSL deployment."
Thread,
Well here is a press release out of US West that somewhat verifies what I wrote upstream two posts. The following press release states that US West has nearly 40% of DSL customers. FWIW, although US West gets a lot of complaints, you do have to admire their gutsy DSL deployment plans.
Has anyone heard of, "On Demand DSL," before? It's a new one for me. I don't quite understand it because in the text of the press release it says to simply launch their browser to get online. Well that is what I do with my cable modem. It's probably not worded quite correctly. I imagine with this, "on demand" service, the computer must not only launch, but establish a connection too. And this certainly sounds like a version of g.lite from the speeds listed. They say they are serving 250 COs passing 7 million homes.
As you may recall, in Cisco's 99Q3 CC of May 11th, Chambers did say, "ILECs are slow to deploy broadband. US West is the exception." So apparently US West/Cisco have a tight relationship when it comes to DSL. Notice in the Q3 CC, Cisco's CTO emphasized broadband was growing at a whooping 100% annually.
Here's the link to my recap of Cisco's Q3 CC: Message 9472080
Does anyone know for certain if it's Access Concentrators that Cisco is supplying to US West? And does anyone know of any other equipment Cisco may be supplying US West for their DSL rollouts?
Thanks,
MikeM(From Florida)
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U S WEST Catapults High-Speed Internet Access to Mass Market with Nation's First 'DSL-on-Demand' at $19.95/mo. for Casual Internet Users
On Heels of 3rd Straight 10,000 DSL Subscriber Month, U S WEST Introduces 'MegaBit Select' in 12 States, Giving Casual Internet Users 'DSL-on-Demand' Access for About Price of 2nd Phone Line
Sept 15, 1999 DENVER - Today, casual Internet surfers in nearly 40 cities in 12 states can blast past the slow downloads and delays of traditional dial-up Internet access with U S WEST MegaBit Select, a breakthrough 'DSL-on-demand' service that is designed and priced specifically for recreational Internet use. For just $19.95 a month, customers can now rocket across the Internet at about 10 times faster than a 28.8 Kbps dial-up modem.
U S WEST is the first to broadly deploy unique 'on-demand' Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology that gives customers who don't require an 'always-on' connection the benefits of power-surfing the Internet at 256 Kbps. Available for about the price of a second phone line, MegaBit Select is a significant value for customers who are considering a second line for their computer.
"MegaBit Select will dramatically accelerate the use of high-speed Internet services by mass market consumers," said Joe Zell, president of U S WEST !NTERPRISE Networking. "'DSL-on-demand' is perfect for the majority of home Internet users - people who are on the Internet a couple of hours a day, and who don't require the 'always-on' connection that standard MegaBit Services provides. Recreational and weekend Internet surfers will enjoy dedicated, high-speed Internet access at a price that makes sense for their lifestyle."
MegaBit Select is the newest offering in U S WEST's portfolio of industry-leading MegaBit Services. In August, U S WEST added more than 10,000 new MegaBit Services customers for the third month in a row - an average of 500 new customers every weekday. To date, U S WEST has nearly 70,000 DSL customers - including almost 15,000 businesses - giving the company nearly 40 percent of all DSL customers in the nation. U S WEST has topped a seven-percent penetration rate in the addressable market of online customers where MegaBit Services is available.
MegaBit Select customers will enjoy most of the benefits of DSL access:
High-speed Internet connections and the ability to make and receive phone calls while online, providing an exceptional value for casual Internet users who aren't online all the time.
MegaBit Select subscribers get full-access speeds of 256 Kbps when they go online - almost 10 times faster than traditional 28.8 Kbps modems - all over their existing phone line.
Like all MegaBit Services, subscribers simply launch their browser software to get online.
Customers can choose from over 200 Internet service providers, including U S WEST.net.
MegaBit Select was introduced in Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane, Wash. this summer. It is now available in nearly all of the more than 40 cities in which U S WEST has deployed MegaBit Services, including Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Salt Lake City. In the remaining markets where U S WEST MegaBit Services is deployed, Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., MegaBit Select will be available next month. The new service requires the same line-qualification process as MegaBit Services, and will be generally available in the same neighborhoods where MegaBit is available today.
"People who access the Internet over dial-up modems represent the largest opportunity today for the growth of high-speed Internet options like DSL," noted Zell. "By providing the most competitively priced high-speed alternative to dial-up Internet service available in the marketplace today, MegaBit Select brings all of the excitement and advantages of broadband to an entirely new group of recreational Internet customers."
MegaBit Select is priced at just $19.95/month and can be combined with unlimited U S WEST.net Internet access for an additional $17.95/month - creating an industry-leading $37.90/month package. MegaBit Select is also compatible with any of the more than 200 Internet service providers that support U S WEST MegaBit Services.
U S WEST set the pace for the DSL industry when it was the first to deploy a widely available DSL service, introducing it in Phoenix in October 1997 and across U S WEST's region in May 1998. U S WEST's other DSL offerings, including MegaHome and MegaOffice, are geared toward Internet users or teleworkers who need a dedicated, 'always-on' connection to the Internet or to their corporate network, as well as casual Web surfers who want instant online access all the time.
MegaHome and MegaOffice offer dedicated, 'always-on' access with no limitations on how long customers spend online and no limitations on what applications customers use - unlike most cable modem services. MegaBit Services is available today in more than 40 cities across U S WEST's region, in almost 250 central offices serving nearly 7 million customer households. It has partnered with Cisco Systems to bring this unique service to market. |
