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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: puborectalis who wrote (38623)	2/12/2000 1:16:00 PM
From: Sly_	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 41369

From the "Bull Market Internet Investor" ### 4. AOL WILL WIN THE DSL WAR By Kevin Prigel More on AOL: streetadvisor.com Tried installing DSL? We have, and the typical user experience is expensive and frustrating. While at first wary at the thought of AOL's providing DSL through their new AOL Plus service, we were pleasantly surprised. You have to own AOL! We have had the annoyance of installing several DSL accounts. Our local DSL provider is Southwestern Bell Communication (SBC). Typical installation works like this: 1) Verify that your phone number is DSL capable - usually by a short phone call or over the web. Most lines within 3.5 miles of a central phone processing station are candidates. 2) Schedule installation - this is typically two to three weeks from the time you call. 3) Up Front Costs - usually $250. This includes the DSL modem, visit by the technician, activation of the DSL service, and setting your computer up to work with the system. 4) Installation - requires you to be home for several hours awaiting the arrival of the technician during the scheduled "installation window". Once the tech arrives, you must wait another several hours as they futz around with your computer to properly enter all of the IP addresses, etc. Sometimes they get this right, but we have been party to occasions where this process takes hours as they try to load the proper drivers for your system and debug the process. 5) Monthly Payment - DSL service is usually $40 per month. On top of this, you have to pay for access to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) that can utilize DSL. This costs an additional $10 to $20 per month. Our AOL experience went like this: One phone call to the company verified that we had service in the area. AOL immediately shipped the DSL modem and connectivity software to us via UPS. We were informed that the DSL would be activated immediately following our conversation, and that all we would need to do was plug the modem into the phone jack and install the software. Despite our previous experience, AOL insured us that no technician would ever need to visit the house. Yeah, right. As promised, the equipment arrived by UPS (UPS). We installed the software, plugged in the modem, and were surfing the web at high speeds within 10 minutes from the time we opened the box! No complex IP addresses were ever entered, as the AOL software did everything flawlessly. The monthly cost for the service is $39. If you already have an AOL account on the basic plan of $22 per month, you will only have to pay the additional $17 to upgrade to blazing speeds. DSL is here to stay and is the wave of the future. AOL has demonstrated that they can provide high speed DSL for the masses, and make the transition easy as pie. This is yet another reason we love AOL. You should own this company. ###