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ADSL Goes to Limited U.S. Market

Bell Atlantic begins offering high-speed Internet access.

By Rebecca Sykes, PCWorld   

ADSL is a type of Digital Subscriber Line, a modem technology that provides high-speed Internet access over standard copper telephone lines.

Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., are first up for Bell Atlantic's service, which is called Infospeed DSL, according to a statement from the company. Next month Infospeed DSL will also be available in Philadelphia, New York City, and parts of New Jersey. Service will go to Boston early next year, the statement said.

Infospeed DSL is available in a variety of packages, including one specifically for ISPs who can offer three levels of monthly flat-fee access to their customers. The ISP packages include: 640-kbps service for $40 a month; 1.6 mbps for $60; and 7.1 mbps for $110, according to Bell Atlantic.

The $40 Infospeed DSL 640-kbps package will more than suffice for single users who need fast Web surfing and e-mail, according to Beth Gage, a director at TeleChoice in Verona, New Jersey.

"Once you get up to 500 kbps or 1 mbps . . . you're not really going to notice a significant difference in Web surfing and you certainly won't notice it in e-mail," Gage said.

The 1.6-mbps and 7.1-mbps Infospeed packages are more suited for software developers and others who are downloading big files, or for sites with multiple users, Gage said. Those users will notice a big difference with the higher speeds, she said.

Separately, Dell Computer and Compaq Computer said Monday they will integrate Infospeed DSL capability into their PCs by early next year. Apple Computer's new iMac is also ready for Infospeed DSL, and other companies have signed on to various marketing and other partnerships with Bell Atlantic and Infospeed DSL, including retailer CompUSA. and modem-maker Westell Technologies, according to Bell Atlantic.

"They've been a bit slow to roll it out but it's probably been the most comprehensive [DSL] announcement we've seen to date," said Craig Driscoll, an analyst with the Yankee Group in Boston.

The Yankee Group projects a base of about 25,000 ADSL subscribers in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to Driscoll. Cable modems, the main competitor to DSL, should have about 425,000 subscribers in the U.S. by the year's end, he added. But the battle between the two technologies is by no means won, according to TeleChoice's Gage.

On Bell Atlantic's Web site, people can type in their phone number to find out if Infospeed DSL is available in their area and if it is available for their particular number and at which speeds, according to Joan Rasmussen, a spokesperson for Bell Atlantic. If DSL service is not available to them, the site will let them know if Bell Atlantic has announced plans for DSL in their area.