EarthLink launches high-speed broadband service
The company is now bringing the service to the majority of its subscribers after quietly offering it to some first-time customers in April.
The 3mpbs service is up to 70 times faster than a normal dial-up connection, the Internet service provider said. The service is currently available to the majority of its subscribers at a promotional price of $34.95 per month. However, the price will shoot up to $49.95 a month once the 12-month promotion is over.
EarthLink quietly began offering the service in April to first-time customers in a handful of cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta, where the company rents lines from Covad Communications Group. The move irked many longtime EarthLink subscribers who complained they were getting the cold shoulder.
The company said most of its existing customers will be automatically upgraded to the new DSL service without any added cost, provided they meet technical specifications such as proximity to their phone company's central office and the capacity of their existing DSL network.
EarthLink TotalAccess, a suite of software tools such as SpamBlocker, Pop-Up Blocker and Spyware Blocker, is supplied for free with the DSL service. Other freebies include a dial-up service of 20 hours per month while away from home.