SBC Gets 'Personal' With DSL

SBC Communications announced that in the fall (which is coming soon) its customers will be able to choose one several DSL speeds. The company calls this "personalized" DSL service.

by Jim Wagner of internetnews.com [August 22, 2002]

Officials at SBC Communications announced that this fall the company will launch digital subscriber line (DSL) service flavors aimed at both dial-up Internet users and high-end consumers.

The goal, SBC officials said, is to provide a "personalized" DSL experience for all types of consumers and small businesses. That experience will "meet virtually every need, every budget and every application," said Ray Wilkins, SBC sales and marketing group president.

Prices won't be announced until the promotion begins this fall, but Fletcher Cook, an SBC spokesperson, said the DSL Basic Package (with a top download speed of 384 Kbps/128 Kbps upload speed) will be priced in the mid-$30 to mid-$40 range

"We're trying to make an offering that's compelling for the dial-up customers, to bridge that gap, not only with affordable pricing but with a product where if they don't necessarily need a 1.5 Mbps bandwidth, 384 Kbps might just be perfect for them," he said. "We're trying to find a price point and offering that suits their needs."

Cook also said the launch will be accompanied with an "aggressive" promotion on DSL modem and activation fees.

The current asymmetric DSL (ADSL) service, which will be called the DSL Standard Package, will remain the same at $49.95 for 384 Kbps -1.5 Mbps download/128 Kbps upload speeds. A new package, for bandwidth-hungry consumers, will range between 768 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps download and 256 Kbps upload.

The three packages will all use dynamic IP addresses.

Three DSL offerings are targeted at the SOHO and small business customer, featuring five static IP addresses and ADSL speeds from 1.5-6 Mbps download. Cook said a symmetric DSL (SDSL) service isn't in the works because SBC feels the upload speeds of up to 384 Kbps are more than enough for most businesses.

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