Bell Atlantic today became the latest in a line of telcos to unveil plans for deployment of high-speed Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) services.
Bell Atlantic, whose markets stretch from Maine to Virginia, said it will introduce ADSL service to the Northeast corridor starting in September.
Deployment for the company’s ADSL-powered “InfoSpeed” Internet access service commences this fall in the Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metro hubs.
In October, the Hudson River area in New Jersey will be ADSL-enabled, with the New York City and Boston areas scheduled for 1999. Bell Atlantic said these locations will be served by over two million lines by the end of the year, with an additional five million more scheduled for 1999.
Other location roll outs will be announced at a later date.
Bell Atlantic is offering three speed-based pricing plans for its “always on” connectivity: Personal InfoSpeed at 640 Kbps with Bell Atlantic.net access for $69.95 a month and unlimited use;
Professional InfoSpeed at 1.6 Mbps with Bell Atlantic.net access for
$109.95 a month and unlimited use; and Power InfoSpeed at 7.1 Mbps with Bell Atlantic.net access for $189.95 a month and unlimited use.
Additional expenses include start-up charges that will cost under $200
during the company’s introductory
promotions. The start-up fee covers a $99 one-time connection fee, and for
Internet users connected through Bell
Atlantic.net, a $100 ADSL modem, a fee waiver for wiring installation, and fee waivers for company specialists to set-up home computers.
“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, in a statement. “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.”
