Southwestern Bell Expands Internet Service and Makes Getting Online Easier
Easy to use, reliable and affordable Internet access doubled to 26 cities
Dallas, Texas, June 23, 1997
Southwestern Bell Internet Services today launched Internet service for eight additional cities, and made it easier for newcomers to get on the 'Net, offering an exclusive rebate that reduces the price of a popular modem.
The additional markets complete Southwestern Bell's plan to double the number of communities it serves in June. Consumers in McAllen, Beaumont/Port Arthur, Midland, Odessa, Wichita Falls, Harlingen and San Angelo, Texas and Topeka, Kansas can now get online using Southwestern Bell Internet Services. The company launched Internet access on June 2, in Amarillo, Longview, Lubbock and Abilene, Texas, and Springfield, Missouri.
Service to these towns comes at an opportune time for residents interested in subscribing. For the next two months, Southwestern Bell is making it even easier to get on the 'Net by offering its customers an exclusive deal on modems. Through an offering with Diamond Multimedia, a leading modem manufacturer, Southwestern Bell customers are eligible for a special money-back mail-in rebate on new SupraExpress 33.6 fax/modems.
"We are rapidly extending our service to these additional communities, making cyberspace travel simple and affordable for both newcomers and 'Net veterans." said Bob Casali, president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Bell Internet Services. "Our exclusive offer that reduces modem prices make it easy for newcomers to get online."
From ordering the service to software installation, surfing different Web sites to paying the bill, Southwestern Bell customers will find their Internet experience simple. To order, customers may call toll-free 1-888-SWB-INET or, for those already online, visit http://www.swbell.net/join and download free software through an autoregistration process that takes only minutes.
Once online, surfing is easy with a customized Netscape browser and the award winning search engine, InfoSeek. Plus, customers can charge their monthly Internet bill to their Southwestern Bell telephone bill and make one easy payment, or charge their Internet bill to any major credit card.
Customers benefit from 33.6 kilobits-per-second (kbps) access on every modem port which allows for faster connections, and an uninterruptible power supply that could support the network weeks after a power outage.
In addition, the Southwestern Bell service offers great value: unlimited access to the complete service is $19.95 a month; or, by paying a full year in advance ($199.50), the cost is less than $17 a month. There's no set up or activation fee, plus customers can trial the service free for 10 days. And, unlike many other providers, Southwestern Bell includes at no additional charge, SurfWatch, a content filtering software that acts as a cybernanny for families concerned about inappropriate material.
Southwestern Bell Internet Services offers dial-up and dedicated Internet access, e-mail, local news and information, content filtering software and search capabilities in major markets throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. It is a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc., an international leader in the telecommunications industry, with more than 31 million access lines and 4.7 million wireless customers across the United States, as well as investments in telecommunications businesses in nine countries.
Under the Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell and Cellular One brands, the company, through its subsidiaries, offers a wide range of innovative services, including local and long-distance telephone service, wireless communications, paging, Internet access, cable TV and messaging, as well as telecommunications equipment, and directory advertising and publishing. SBC (www.sbc.com) has approximately 110,000 employees. SBC and Pacific Telesis Group reported combined 1996 revenues of $23.5 billion.
EDITORS NOTE: Southwestern Bell Internet Service is available for a free 10-day trial in either a diskette and/or a CD ROM version for Windows 95, Windows 3.1 or Macintosh; local, long-distance or 800-number access charges apply for all pricing plans. Other terms and conditions apply.
