Dell puts DSL in PC packages
By Ben Charny
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 6, 2003, 2:14 PM PT
Dell Computer has begun selling broadband services from the top two U.S. providers of DSL (digital subscriber line) Internet access, the company will announce on Tuesday.
The PC reseller is offering various high-speed Internet access plans from SBC Communications, the leader in U.S. sales of DSL services, and from second-place rival Verizon Communications, said Kurt Kirsch, director of home sales at Dell. The broadband services are being sold directly to Dell customers who buy new PCs, he said.
In addition, the PC company is reselling Web subscriptions offered by BellSouth, the third-biggest U.S. DSL provider.
Dell will join computer makers
Gateway and Compaq in reselling
high-speed Web services directly to
customers.
"More and more computer buyers
see DSL as a necessary service,"
said Verizon spokeswoman Briana
Gowing.
Dell is the first PC company to resell
DSL service from the top two U.S.
providers simultaneously, she
added.
PC companies such as Dell are
trying to latch onto a growth in
broadband subscriptions to boost
sales of personal computers. The
PC market has been hit by a slumping economy that has forced corporations--among the biggest computer buyers--to limit their information technology spending. In addition, consumers have opted to buy other kinds of electronics devices instead of replacing their PCs.
Broadband services could provide a lifeline to PC companies. The number of DSL customers worldwide grew at an unprecedented rate from July through September 2002, according to a recent survey from the DSL Forum.
More than 5 million people worldwide signed up for DSL service between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2002, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the previous three-month period, according to the survey, which was released last month.
SBC, Verizon and BellSouth are expected to introduce rebates or discounts on subscriptions that are meant just for Dell customers. However, details of program pricing were not available
GlobespanVirata, Inc., formerly
GlobeSpan, Inc., is a provider
of integrated circuits, software
and system designs for
broadband communication
applications that enable
high-speed transmission of
data, voice and video to homes
and business enterprises
throughout the world. The
Company's integrated circuits,
software and system designs
are primarily used in digital
subscriber line applications,
which utilize the existing
network of copper telephone
wires, known as the local loop, for high-speed transmission of data.
The Company sells its products to more than 300 telecommunications equipment manufacturers for incorporation into their products, for use in systems deployed by telecommunications service providers and end users in more than 30 countries.
The Company's products target the market for high-speed data transmission applications such as Internet access, telecommuting and networking among branch offices. On December 14, 2001, the Company merged with Virata Corporation.
