BA's lengthy press release.....New Bell Atlantic High-Speed ADSL Service To Shift Internet Surfers Into HyperDrive
PR Newswire - June 03, 1998 10:30
Suite of 'Always-On' Services Will Be Brought to Markets Served by More Than 7 Million Lines by Year-End 1999
WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers and at-home workers in several mid-Atlantic markets will be among the first in the world to order "always-on," high-speed Internet access starting this September, Bell Atlantic announced today.
The digital high-speed service will provide a link to the global Internet that will always be available at the click of a mouse. No dialing. No busy signals.
The company's deployment of the new suite of Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed Internet access services, powered by Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology, will begin in the Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metropolitan areas in September. New Jersey's Hudson River waterfront will follow in October. Service in these mid-Atlantic markets will be deployed to more than two million lines by the end of 1998 and five million more in 1999.
The New York City and Boston metropolitan areas will begin to come on-line next year. Additional markets will be announced in the future.
"Bell Atlantic's InfoSpeed services will take the headache out of working and surfing on-line from home," said Bruce Gordon, group president-retail for Bell Atlantic. "The tempo of work and play moves faster every day in our ever more 'wired' world, and people increasingly find their standard Internet access to be too slow. Bell Atlantic is determined to keep pace with people's evolving needs by adding booster rockets to the on-line connections we provide and by supplying high speed, easy-to-use, complete Internet solutions."
The new service will supercharge an existing phone line by using ADSL technology to provide connections ranging from 640 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 7.1 megabits per second (Mbps) -- up to 250 times faster than a traditional 28.8 Kbps modem.
"Consumers usually are deterred from adopting a hi-tech service such as InfoSpeed by usage-based pricing, a 'choice' of only 'one size fits all,' high up-front costs, and the effort required to operate complex new technologies," said Gordon. "Bell Atlantic is addressing these concerns."
Bell Atlantic has identified three different groups of at-home Internet users, each with a different set of requirements -- personal, professional and power. Customers choosing Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed high-speed services and Bell Atlantic.net sm Internet access will be able to select from among three options that most closely meet their needs, subject to potential distance limitations:
-- Bell Atlantic Personal InfoSpeed (up to 640 Kbps, with Bell
Atlantic.net Internet access) at $69.95 a month for unlimited use;
-- Bell Atlantic Professional InfoSpeed (up to 1.6 Mbps, with Bell
Atlantic.net Internet access) at $109.95 a month for unlimited use;
-- Bell Atlantic Power InfoSpeed (up to 7.1 Mbps, including Bell
Atlantic.net Internet access) at $189.95 a month for unlimited use.
Start-up fees will be held to less than $200 during introductory promotional periods. This will include a $99 one-time connection fee, and -- for Bell Atlantic.net subscribers -- an ADSL modem for under $100, the waiver of fees for inside wiring work and the waiver of fees for a specialist to aid in the set-up of the person's at-home computer. Further, the service will come with a customer care, money-back guarantee for all one-time charges if a customer decides not to continue service within 30 days of installation.
Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed also will be available to other Internet Service Providers to package with their Internet access offerings. Three levels of high-speed connections will be offered, priced at flat monthly rates: InfoSpeed 640K at $39.95, InfoSpeed 1.6M at $59.95 and InfoSpeed 7.1M at $109.95.
When customers order a Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed service, specialists will be available to visit their homes and install the equipment and test the line. If customers want, the specialists will be able to install and configure their Bell Atlantic.net software and set up their computers for always-on Internet access. After the installation is complete, technical support will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Delighting our customers and providing world-class service is one of the hallmarks of Bell Atlantic," said Gordon. "Our commitment to customer care now is being extended to the world of on-line services, where we intend to meet our customers' expectations and ensure a migration path to the future when they purchase a data service from us."
Bell Atlantic will be "technology-change proofing" its high speed services by introducing an "ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) Rewards" program concurrent with the launch of its InfoSpeed product line. Once Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed service is available in an area, ISDN customers who have purchased an ISDN modem from Bell Atlantic will be guaranteed an ADSL modem from the company at no additional charge when they upgrade to InfoSpeed service and subscribe to Bell Atlantic.net. So, customers who want high-speed Internet access need not wait until ADSL-powered InfoSpeed is available in their area. Where Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed is not available or is not compatible with a person's line, customers can still order Bell Atlantic ISDN service for high-speed Internet access.
Bell Atlantic ISDN service is available -- today -- to nearly 20 million households in the mid-Atlantic region and the Northeast. ISDN can provide Internet connections that are more than four times faster than traditional 28.8 Kbps modems. Nearly half of the one million ISDN lines installed in the United States are used by Bell Atlantic customers.
The company's ADSL-based services also will evolve to be compatible with the international, universal specifications currently being developed by the world's technical community. These specifications will ensure that future ADSL products and services will work together simply and easily, providing a "plug and play" installation process and making the services even more affordable. For more information on this issue, visit the Universal ADSL Working Group site on the World Wide Web at www.uawg.org.
Enhanced business-to-business and business-to-Internet ADSL-based services will be launched early in 1999. These enhancements will include accelerated provisioning procedures, proactive network monitoring capabilities and service management capabilities. The new services will enhance Bell Atlantic's full suite of Fast Packet services that is designed for the business market.
Customers can make a reservation for Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed ADSL services today via the Bell Atlantic Web site at www.bellatlantic.com/adsl, or by calling 877-525-ADSL. They also can learn about Bell Atlantic's ISDN Rewards Program by visiting the same Web site or calling the same toll-free number.
Bell Atlantic.net is available in major markets from Maine to Virginia. Bell Atlantic.net will provide customers purchasing Bell Atlantic.net Internet access powered by InfoSpeed with free Communicator software in Windows 95* or Windows NT* 4.0 versions, electronic mail, access to newsgroups, five megabytes of space for a personal Web page and free access to expert help desk services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bell Atlantic.net pricing plans include current Global Service Provider charges for connection to the global Internet.
For information about Bell Atlantic.net, visit the company's Web site at www.bellatlantic.net or call 800-NET-2026.
Bell Atlantic -- formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX -- is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 41 million telephone access lines and 6.7 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 22 countries.
*Trademark of Microsoft Corp.
INTERNET USERS: Bell Atlantic news releases, executive speeches, news media contacts and other useful information are available at Bell Atlantic's News Center on the World Wide Web (http://www.ba.com). To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for personalized automatic delivery of Bell Atlantic news releases.
Always-On Connections . . . How Do They Do That?
Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed services will provide an "always-on" connection to the Internet by linking the computer user directly into Bell Atlantic's data network, which is separate and apart from the telephone network. This data network operates on a very different principle from the phone network.
Voice:
Telephone calls depend on establishing a pathway or circuit between two people that is always open for the duration of the call. The circuit is kept 100 percent open and available even when no information (words) is being transmitted, because pauses are a meaningful part of human conversation.
Computerized equipment called "circuit switches" perform the magic of creating an open channel through the incredibly complex maze of wires and glass fibers of a telephone network, all in a matter of milliseconds. The switches keep a circuit open for the duration of the call and then are responsible for dismantling the connection when the phone users hang up, making the wires and equipment in the telephone network available for the next two callers, again in the blink of an eye.
A telephone network puts a premium on disconnecting circuits when calls are finished because the more often and more quickly the telephone network can be reused by new callers, the lower the cost of operating the total system and lower the price to the individual caller.
Herein lies the barrier to providing at-home Internet surfers with a constant, on-line link over the circuit switched, voice telephone network. The imperative to disconnect is there, no matter whether the communication is between two people or two computers.
Data:
Data calls between two computers are very different. Silence is meaningless. Keeping a circuit 100 percent open when a person is pausing to read text at a Web site is a waste of time -- and of a waste of precious network capacity.
So the switches on a data network operate under a very different principle from voice switches. A data switch accepts information (data) in the form of small chunks or packets -- the sort of thing that is sent when a person types on a computer keyboard for a few moments and then pauses to think.
In a burst of activity, the data or packet switch sends the packets of information out to the intricate circuitry of a data network. Each individual packet finds its way through the network to its destination, aided at times by intervening switches.
Meanwhile, rather than worry about keeping a circuit open to the other end of the connection, the originating data switch immediately clears its pathways to the network, making the circuits available for a burst of activity from the next computer user who pounds out a message on a keyboard. Instead of being disconnected, the circuits "rest" or "go to sleep" -- if only for a microsecond -- ready to be revived the moment there is data to transmit.
When many computer users are on-line at the same time, circuits on a data network are never idle. They are filled with the data packets from different computers. Millions of packets move to their various destinations over the data network, many times traveling interspersed and interwoven on the same physical wire.
The way in which data networks keep circuits full and in constant use makes for very efficient computer-to-computer communications, hence giving the ability to provide always-on service.
Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed Services and the Always-On Connection
When a computer user is tied directly to the sort of data network just described, then providing a constant connection becomes feasible and affordable. People using Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed services will be able to leave their computers on and connected all day, knowing their data circuit will never give them a busy signal. Instead, it will come to life the moment they want to surf a Web site to check on the latest stock quote or sports score.
What Others Say About Bell Atlantic's ADSL Plans . . .
"It's the way of the future. I think all computers should be equipped for ADSL. I like it much better than modems because of the speed. I can use ADSL for my own construction company to download major files, such as computer-aided design, or CAD, to help in presenting photos and designs to my customers. It's a great selling and networking tool."
Matt Ryan
Northern Virginia trial customer
703-425-3855
"I would die without my ADSL. It's better than cable modems. It's like driving a Porsche. I could never go back to that slow 56Kbps modem ever again. The service is reliable and responsive."
Paula Larson
Northern Virginia trial customer
703-277-1867
"Bell Atlantic's DSL services are likely to be competitive with other high-speed services such as cable modems and are likely to be more widely available to more consumers and businesses in the near term."
Peter Krasilovsky
Vice President
Arlen Communications
301-656-7940
"Bell Atlantic is to be congratulated for pursuing deployment of ADSL -- a critically important technology for bringing advanced applications, such as health care, economic empowerment and life-long learning to the home. The challenge is for incremental deployment to reach marginalized communities that are at risk of being bypassed by market forces."
Donald Vial
Chair, Policy Committee
Alliance for Public Technology
Former Chair, California PUC
"Compaq applauds Bell Atlantic's commitment to deployment of this high-speed Internet access capability and plans for migration to the emerging Universal-ADSL (U-ADSL) specification. The PC has truly become a communications device that is central to people's lives, and we are excited to see the vision of high-speed, always-connected Internet access becoming a reality with Bell Atlantic's InfoSpeed offering."
Kurt Losert
Vice President of Internet
Services
Compaq Computer Corporation
SOURCE Bell Atlantic
/CONTACT: Larry Plumb of Bell Atlantic, 703-295-4360 or
lawrence.d.plumb@bellatlantic.com/
/Web site: bellatlantic.net
/Web site: uawg.org
/Web site: bellatlantic.com
/Web site: ba.com
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