AT&T targets young DSL users; cuts tie to landline

AT&T TARGETS YOUNG DSL USERS; CUTS TIE TO LANDLINE
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Jon Van]
In a trial launched in Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Jacksonville, Fla., AT&T will drop its requirement that customers have a wired phone to get DSL, or digital subscriber line, and the company will offer DSL to AT&T mobile customers at the same price it charges those who use its wired phones. The new trial high-speed Internet service will be available from AT&T stores in the Chicago area for $23.99 a month. The plan, featuring 1.5 megabits per second speed, will cost $19.99 a month for AT&T's wireless phone customers. To win federal approval last year of its acquisition of BellSouth Corp., AT&T agreed to offer stand-alone DSL at reasonable prices. AT&T will launch a stand-alone DSL service for under $20 a month later this year to comply with that pledge, said Cara Birch, a company spokeswoman. That service will feature speeds of 768 kilobits a second, which is half as fast as the 1.5-megabit-per-second speed offered now. But AT&T says it is investigating stand-alone DSL service as a marketing strategy. "Today's offer is separate from the merger condition," Birch said. "This trial focuses on college students in three markets who may not have an access line but wish to take advantage of broadband." While aimed at new and younger customers, AT&T's offer is available to anyone, including current DSL customers, Birch said. The trial offer will run through Nov. 3 and isn't available online.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat_dslaug11,0,4243771.story?track=rss

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