SBC Communications Announces Broad ADSL Deployment Across California
02:00 p.m May 27, 1998 Eastern
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 27, 1998--
Pacific Bell plans to have service available to more than
5 million California business and residential customers by
end of summer
SBC Communications Inc. announced today that Pacific Bell will begin broadly deploying high-speed Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) service in more than 200 communities across California to satisfy customers increased demands for bandwidth and faster Internet access.
Designed primarily for Internet and telecommuting applications, ADSL enables businesses of all sizes to work smarter and home Internet enthusiasts to surf faster. Packaged with Internet service, ADSL provides online consumers and small businesses with accelerated access to the World Wide Web. As a stand-alone connection, ADSL also allows telecommuting employees and after-hours home workers to connect to their employers corporate networks via dedicated, secure links.
Following a successful market trial of ADSL initiated last fall, Pacific Bell plans to initially deploy ADSL in 87 central offices (see attached list) serving all or part of more than 200 communities throughout the state. Within the next few months, cities such as San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento will have Pacific Bell ADSL service. The ADSL-equipped central offices currently serve approximately 4.4 million households and 650,000 business customers.
"SBC recognizes the value of the data communications market for our customers and our business. Pacific Bell s broad-based rollout of ADSL in California is one example of the commitment we are making to support our customers data needs," said Royce Caldwell, President of SBC Operations.
"Pacific Bell is stepping up to the plate to deliver lightning fast Internet access to millions of our customers in California, home of the world s most demanding and intensive Internet users," said Jim Callaway, Pacific Bell president of public affairs. "This broad geographic rollout delivers on our commitment to provide Californians with the speed they need at a competitive price so that they can take greater advantage of the power of the Internet. It gives them the ability to receive and send data to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The California marketplace already has the highest percentage of "wired" households and the greatest number of second phone lines of any state in the country. The introduction of ADSL technology will solidify the Golden State s position as the center of the Internet world," he added.
The much-anticipated offering is expected to bolster California s economic, environmental and social development, according to state Senator Steve Peace (D-La Mesa). "I applaud Pacific Bell s commitment to accelerate deployment of this advanced telecommunications infrastructure on behalf of California businesses and consumers," said Senator Peace. "This is truly the technology that California needs to remain competitive in the 21st century, for it has social, educational and business applications that benefit each and every one of us."
Pacific Bell plans to begin commercial deployment in July. Pacific Bell is making filings with regulatory authorities to provide this service.
ADSL provides telecommuters and branch offices with secure, dedicated links to corporate networks at transmission speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) 50 times faster than 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps) modem speeds. By comparison, it would take a 28.8 Kbps modem 41 minutes to download a short video clip (72 Mbps) that could be downloaded in 48 seconds using ADSL technology. It is also a high- speed, always-on, direct Internet access solution that enables users to download data, graphics, audio and video files over existing telephone lines while simultaneously using a phone or fax machine.
Three ADSL offerings will be available from the company and priced as follows pending regulatory approval and processes: -- "Home Pack DSL" includes the ADSL connection and Internet service,
and is designed for high-volume home Internet users. "Home Pack"
provides transport speeds starting at 384 kilobits per second
(Kbps) downstream and 128 Kbps upstream. Total monthly price for
home Internet access package starts at $89, including $59 ADSL
connection and $30 dedicated Internet service from Pacific Bell
Internet Services. -- "Internet Access Pack DSL" also includes the ADSL connection and
Internet service, and is designed to meet the higher-speed
Internet access needs of all businesses. "Internet Access Pack"
includes two speed options:
- up to 384 Kbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream to meet the
needs of small office/home office (SOHO) and small businesses
requiring internet access. Total monthly price for business
Internet package starts at $199, including $99 ADSL connection
and $100 dedicated Internet service from Pacific Bell Internet
Services.
- up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 384 Kbps
upstream for small businesses needing more bandwidth and for
medium and large businesses where many employees share a single
internet connection. Total monthly price for the business
Internet package for small offices starts at $339, including
$189 ADSL connection and $150 dedicated Internet service from
Pacific Bell Internet Services. -- "Office Pack DSL" includes the ADSL service and is designed to meet
the dedicated and secure remote access needs of large business
customers. "Office Pack" includes two speed options:
- up to 1.5 Mbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream. Total monthly
price for high-speed corporate network connection is $189.
- up to 384 Kbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream. Total
monthly price for high-speed corporate network connection is
$99.
Additional charges may apply for purchases of customer premise equipment and network integration services.
A one-time installation charge of $125 applies for each ADSL package. Pacific Bell will make ADSL equipment available to its residential and business customers; pricing for ADSL equipment will vary by ADSL package.
"Pacific Bell s plans to broadly deploy high-speed connectivity is a major win for California s personal computer users," said Robert T. Jenkins, Intel vice president and director of corporate licensing. "We congratulate Pacific Bell s commitment to major statewide deployment of ADSL access." Jenkins, who chairs the executive committee of the California Manufacturers Association (CMA), said that a recently issued CMA study predicted that "640,000 new jobs and an increase of more than $200 billion in gross state output by 2001" will result from broadly deployed services such as Pacific Bell s ADSL.
"Commercial deployment of ADSL is but one component of our unfolding data strategy. Over the next few months, we intend to introduce a full range of data transport and networking services that meet the complex demands of businesses and consumers," said Ed Mueller, president and CEO of Pacific Bell.
According to Beth Gage, a broadband consultant at TeleChoice, the North American DSL market is expected to reach an installed base of 110,000 lines this year, 355,000 in 1999 and more than one million in 2001. "California's high tech industries and other factors contribute to its position as the most wired region in the US," Gage said. "As mass market DSL services become available consumers and businesses will benefit from vastly improved Internet response times for retrieving and transmitting data. Eliminating the local access bandwidth bottleneck for consumers and small businesses will have definite side effects - increased use of the Internet for business applications and consumer entertainment, and continued growth of new applications and services that will take advantage of new access capabilities."
Due to existing technology and distance limitations, ADSL will not be available to all customers served by the ADSL-equipped central offices. Initially, the service will be available to approximately 60 percent of the households and businesses in each service area. To receive the service, customers must be located within 16,000 feet of a ADSL-equipped central office and their lines must meet certain transmission criteria.
While existing phone lines can be adapted for ADSL, the following hardware and software is required: an ADSL modem; a "splitter" that divides voice and data line traffic; and a Network Interface Card that connects the modem to a personal computer.
As a member of the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG) comprised of leading telecommunications, hardware and software companies, Pacific Bell s parent company, SBC Communications, Inc., believes its ADSL offering helps satisfy the UAWG s goal of bringing high-speed access to the mass market.
Pacific Bell will provide one-stop shopping for hardware, service and support and can assist customers in obtaining and installing these devices. California residents can call 1-888-884-2DSL or visit the Pacific Bell Web site at www.pacbell.com/products/business/fastrak/adsl/ for additional information.
Pacific Bell provides basic and leading-edge telephone services and products to over 13.8 million business and residential customers -- a total of more than 17.6 million access lines -- throughout California. It is a company of SBC Communications Inc., a global leader in the telecommunications industry with nearly 34 million access lines and 5.6 million wireless customers across the United States, as well as investments in telecommunications businesses in 10 countries. Under the Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell and Cellular One brands, SBC, through its subsidiaries, offers a wide range of innovative services, including local and long-distance telephone service, wireless communications, paging, Internet access, and messaging, as well as telecommunications equipment, and directory advertising and publishing. SBC (www.sbc.com) has more than 118,000 employees and reported 1997 revenues of $25 billion. SBC s equity market value of $80 billion (as of March 31, 1998) ranks it as one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.
Pacific Bell
ADSL Central Offices
1998 Summer Deployment
The following central offices cover all or part of more than 200
communities in California.
Alameda Los Angeles
Albany Milpitas
Alhambra Mountain View
Anaheim (2) National City
Arcadia Newport Beach
Berkeley Northridge
Beverly Hills North Hollywood
Burbank Oakland (3)
Burlingame Palo Alto (2)
Canoga Park Pasadena
Colma Pleasanton
Compton Redwood City
Concord Reseda
Costa Mesa Sacramento (4)
Culver City San Bruno
Danville (2) San Carlos
El Toro San Diego
Escondido San Francisco (5)
Fair Oaks San Gabriel
Fremont (2) San Jose (5)
Fullerton San Mateo
Garden Grove San Ramon
Glendale Santa Ana (2)
Hayward Santa Clara (2)
Hollywood Sherman Oaks
Irvine Simi
La Crescenta Sunnyvale
La Jolla Tustin
La Mesa Van Nuys
Laguna Nigel Ventura (2)
Livermore Walnut Creek
Los Altos
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