BellSouth Announces Aggressive 30 Market Roll-Out of Ultra-High Speed BellSouth.Net FastAccess ADSL Internet Service
Business Wire - May 20, 1998 08:11
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 1998--
Super-charged "always on" service will make higher speed, better priced ADSL Internet access available to 1.7 million home and small business users in 1998
BellSouth today announced that it will begin offering affordable, ultra-fast Internet access service to the first of 30 Southeastern markets in late August.
Featuring one simple price plan for both consumers and small businesses starting at $49.95 per month, BellSouth.net(SM) FastAccess(SM) service uses ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber line) technology to deliver an "always on" Internet connection and download speeds 30 to 100 times faster than a typical dial-up connection.
BellSouth will provide the service in New Orleans, Atlanta, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Charlotte and Ft. Lauderdale this year, making the service available to 1.7 million customers by the end of 1998. The service will first roll out in New Orleans in late August and will be offered in 23 additional markets in 1999.
BellSouth.net FastAccess service not only delivers lightning fast Internet access and download speeds, but customers' ADSL connections to the Internet are "always-on" and do not require dialing up to connect.
"Our 30 market roll-out of BellSouth.net FastAccess service is another example of BellSouth's strong commitment to delivering leading-edge data services to consumers and business customers alike," said Duane Ackerman, Chief Executive Officer of BellSouth Corporation. "BellSouth.net FastAccess provides a very high-speed Internet connection with a very affordable, easy-to-understand price plan. High speed Internet service is now a viable option for home users or small business owners, not just those who have a corporate network connection."
BellSouth.net FastAccess service will be available for $49.95 to BellSouth customers who subscribe to the Complete Choice(SM) or Business Choice(SM) service plans (which include local phone service plus a choice of up to 20 calling features, such as Call Waiting, Call Forwarding and Caller ID, for one flat monthly rate). For other customers, BellSouth.net FastAccess service will be available for $59.95 per month. One-time charges include $199.95 for equipment and $99.95 for installation. The monthly price for BellSouth.net FastAccess includes unlimited Internet access but does not include the monthly charge for basic telephone service.
"BellSouth.net FastAccess makes your high-speed connection to the Internet as easy as the click of a mouse," says Donna Lachance, vice president of Marketing for BellSouth.net Services. "An Internet specialist will visit your home or business to install the equipment, test your new line and even install your Internet software and establish your BellSouth.net Internet account on your PC. Our new service is the epitome of full service from the company you trust."
According to an industry report from The Yankee Group(a), ADSL-based Internet access will experience strong growth over the next three years. The analyst firm predicts that 350,000 ADSL lines should be in service nationwide by the end of 1999 and that almost two million ADSL lines will be in service at the end of 2001.
"Internet users come from all walks of life and business, but all have one thing in common, the need for speed," according to telecommunications analyst Jeffrey Kagan of Kagan Telecom Associates. "BellSouth.net's ADSL Internet service will be the fastest access the average small business or consumer customer can get. This is great news for BellSouth.net customers and for BellSouth."
BellSouth will also offer other ADSL access services to other network service providers and large businesses. ADSL service transforms an enterprise's existing information system from one limited to voice, text and low-resolution graphics to a powerful, ubiquitous network capable of providing Internet access, remote LAN access, multimedia access and specialized PC service. ADSL also enhances BellSouth's teleworking offering for businesses with employees working from home offices.
BellSouth.net FastAccess service will be fully compatible with the Universal ADSL framework being proposed by the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG). The group, composed of computer, networking and telecommunications industry leaders and co-chaired by John Cahill, executive director, BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., is working to develop universal technical specifications that will ensure that ADSL products and services will work together and will help provide a simple migration path from today's modems. (More information on the UAWG is available at its Web site, www.UAWG.com.)
Customers can make a reservation for BellSouth.net FastAccess service now via the BellSouth.net Web site at www.bellsouth.net/external/adsl or by calling 1-888-321-ADSL toll-free during normal business hours.
BellSouth.net service has more than 235,000 customers in 43 markets across the Southeast. The service provides customers with free Netscape Communicator software in both Windows and Macintosh versions, electronic mail and free access to expert Help Desk service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. BellSouth.net service is offered in major markets throughout the Southeast to more than 70 percent of BellSouth's telephone customers region-wide. BellSouth.net pricing plans include BellSouth's charges for connection to its local Internet network and the Global Service Provider's charges for connection to the global Internet.
BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) is a $21 billion communications services company. It provides telecommunications, wireless communications, directory advertising and publishing, and Internet and information services to more than 30 million customers in 20 countries worldwide. BellSouth's telecommunications operations provide service over one of the most advanced networks in the world for approximately 23 million access lines in its nine-state region that includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. For more information on BellSouth.net Internet services, visit www.bellsouth.net or visit BellSouth Corporation's Web site at www.bellsouth.com.
Note (a): Study by The Yankee Group, "Resolving the Access Bottleneck: ADSL Equipment Opens the Flood Gates," March 1998
CONTACT: BellSouth
Ted Creech, 404/927-7428
tcreech@bellsouth.net |
