Atlanta-based EarthLink Inc.
Monday announced it more than doubled its broadband customer base since the
beginning of the year.
EarthLink (ELNK)
contends attaining its 50,000-broadband customer milestone substantiates
its place among the top tier of high-speed Internet services providers.
Mike Lunsford, EarthLink executive vice president of broadband services,
said the access provider may have hit its stride in providing broadband
access, but it’s just the beginning for the national ISP’s high-speed
service deployment.
“Hitting the 50,000-customer mark is significant because it confirms our
status as a major retail broadband provider,” Lunsford said. “But this is
just the start. New initiatives like self-installs and waived up-front fees
should allow us to roll our broadband service even more aggressively.”
Internal EarthLink research confirmed that initial setup fees, installation
and equipment costs were the biggest barriers to customers seeking
high-speed services.
In order to continue aggressively signing-up new Digital Subscriber Line
customers, EarthLink decided to waive all up-front DSL setup and equipment
fees nationwide. The move saves new customers as much as $350 when they
self-install their own DSL equipment.
After testing DSL self-installation kits in Dallas and Los Angeles,
EarthLink found it could cut the DSL provisioning cycle in half and
accelerate new-customer acquisition. EarthLink reports it attained a 95
percent success rate to date on the self-install kits.
Broadband access seekers are further enticed by EarthLink’s regional DSL
promotions, which include a three-month-for-the-price-of-one deal being
offered in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
EarthLink currently offers DSL service in more than 30 major metropolitan
markets and cable in nine areas. It plans to offer DSL services in more
than 2,200 Central Offices or 40 markets by the end of the second quarter.