Sprint Simplifies DSL Installation

Sprint Corp. hopes digital
subscriber line self-install kits from its new partner Broadjump Inc. will help it gain subscribers in its battle with DSL competitors and cable firms.
waiting times.

The partnership, announced Monday, lets customers install the high-speed
service themselves, instead of waiting for a Sprint
technician. Typically, the broadband service takes 40 to 60 days to install.

Greg Crosby, Sprint assistant vice president for broadband wireline product
management, said the company wants to make it faster for customers to get
broadband services.

“Until now, two of the barriers to rapidly rolling out residential
broadband access were the cost of installation and the need to schedule an
appointment during the workday for a field technician to enter the home,”
Crosby said. “We wanted to make it easier and cheaper for our customers to
sign up for residential broadband access. Self-installation will enable us
to increase productivity while reducing costs.”

Lisa Zimmerman, Sprint spokesperson, said the kit will save the customer
approximately $130 in installation costs and have subscribers up and
running in about an hour.

“The software allows customers to install DSL completely on their own,”
Zimmerman said. “The other companies say they have self-install kits but
are little more than installation manuals that you need to be pretty
tech-savvy to install on your own. With us, the customer is mailed their
DSL modem and a CD-ROM with the software that automatically checks the
computer’s system for compatibility. In less than an hour, they’re up and
running.”

Broadjump’s installation software suite monitors both Windows- or
Mac-enabled computers for DSL compatibility and guides the user through the
entire process. The software also works for cable and wireless Internet
installation.

Kip McClanahan, Broadjump chief executive officer, said the company was
born to help foster the broadband quick-connect boom.

McClanahan said the partnership with Sprint is the first step in its bid to
provide their software suite for the 25 top telecommunications companies in
the U.S. and Canada.

Sprint currently offers DSL service in Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and
Virginia.

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