DSL info for  consumers & the  industry. 

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Who are these guys? is a key question, because you will need your provider/ISP to take care of business for the installation and if you have any problems. It’s important to get a good provider, especially because setup is still often a pain in the butt.

This page has brief listings for the major companies offering DSL in the United States. You may deal with them directly, or through a separate Internet Service Provider (ISP), which could be AOL, AT&T, Microsoft's MSN, or one of several thousand local outfits. Things continue to move more rapidly than we can follow, so we always welcome updates at editor@dslprime.com.

@Link , originally named Dakota Systems, has hooked up 1,000 central offices (COs) in 44 mostly midwestern cities. They have their own ATM backbone, to deliver VPNs and other services to business. (3/15/01)

Allegiance is a large independent telephone company that has several times made announcements of direct DSL services but still was just a reseller in Q1 2001. They serve a large base of businesses in many major cities. (3/15/01)

Alltel is a regional telco with 15,000 DSL subscribers in early 2001. (3/15/01)

Ameritech was an early leader among the Bells in testing DSL, but the deployment had been very slow pending the acquisition by SBC. SBC made some strong commitments when they took over, including delivering DSL to 80% by 2002 (Project Pronto), and a high speed connection to everyone in the few years thereafter. Unfortunately, they are not delivering on that promise, as of Q1 2001. Project Pronto is on virtual hold, for technical and financial reasons, and has officially been moved back a year. We are disappointed that that SBC hasn't lived up to our prediction, that they would move rapidly to rapidly to light the territory and serve the entire population with broadband. They offer both consumer and business service.  (3/15/01)

AT&T has ambitious plans for DSL, nearly none of which have been realized by early 2001. To date, they are a minor reseller (primarily Covad), but CEO Armstrong has told Wall Street that after the spinoff of the cable division into AT&T Broadband, DSL will be their primary consumer offering for the fast Internet. Their own fiber backbone, along with the facilities obtained with the IBM Global Network, give them enormous capacity, while their acquisition of MFS gives them co-located facilities throughout many metropolitan areas. By the end of 2001, they intend to offer broadband and telephony to 95% of America, using cable, DSL, wireless, and satellite where appropriate. They plan 1200 COs of DSL by the middle of 2000, both their own and resold. (3/15/01)

Bell South intends to grow subscribers from 200K at the beginning of 2001 to 600K at yearend, most through their own ISP. Consumer pricing is generally $40. They are starting to roll out business services as well, and have committed to finding a solution for customers who cannot be serviced because of Digital Loop Carriers, the fiber to the neighborhood boxes that are used to service many of their residents.  (3/15/01)

Broadwing/Cincinnati Bell features Zoom, ADSL service with special features designed for ease of use and community building. They aim to make Cincinnati “Zoom City”, using advanced telecom services to help the city grow, and have announced a deal with Intertainer to be the first to offer Video on Demand. (3/15/01)

Choice One, has installed 130 COs in upstate NY and is expanding to PA. Started as a regional phone provider, their service is for business and emphasizes voice. (3/15/01)

Covad is the largest national wholesaler, and also sells direct to businesses. They've had shaky financial going, but by and large have delivered much better service than the Bells. Pricing varies depending upon which ISP you sign up with, and they offer consumer level service as well, at $50-60. Originally, consumer was planned as a major service, but from early 2000 to the time of this item, the emphasis is strongly on business. (3/15/01)

DSL.net is based in New Haven, Connecticut and is building nationally in smaller cities. (500 locations) They are licensed in 50 states, and plan to be the first in midsize cities around the nation. They are also aggressive resellers in selected major cities, and offering services beyond just connectivity, including ADP payroll and accounting.  They exclusively sell to business.(3/15/01)

IP Communications is rapidly wiring Texas, emphasizing smaller cites like Lubbock, Brownsville, and Waco. They intend to add Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri later this year, and ultimately to expand towards Chicago and California. Their plan is to be an alternative to SBC, offering service to businesses.Currently, their subscriber base is so small they don't release figures. (3/15/01)

Log On America  is installing Nortel equipment in Providence, RI and in Maine, planning to grow regionally. They emphasize telephony and consumer as well as business service.

MCI/UUNet/Worldcom is a giant being coy about their plans, but their business service with Service Level Guarantees is a strong choice for many. They announced in 1998 they would offer consumer service, with few details, and have not yet elaborated. UUNet was one of the true pioneers of the internet, and they remain one of the leading vendors of dedicated internet lines. They've also made a deal with Rhythms to sell 100,000 lines. Their public announcements are ambitious, but have few details. They offer DSL from 1500 COs, but most belong to Rhythms and others they resell. They keep promising something big, but we've already been waiting for years. (3/15/01)

NAS (Network Access Systems) is targeting direct sales to businesses from 400 offices on the East Coast. (03/15/01)

New Edge Networks has announced they will offer service in 50 states to smaller cities, and is the best choice for business service in many of the small towns they have equipment in. (3/15/01)

Northpoint fell into bankruptcy after their deal with Verizon fell through, with results expected shortly. They have done a good job of servicing customers despite their financial problems. (3/15/01)

Qwest/US West was the early leader among the telcos in DSL, with 30,000 customers when most of the other large firms had fewer than 10,000. They have 40,000 VDSL (very high rate DSL) subscribers in Phoenix, the most advanced deployment in the world. They are about to add Video on Demand from Intertainer. They've chosen not to deploy DSL to smaller cites (except state capitals), and have not decided whether to expand VDSL, as the company considers worldwide investment. (03/15/01)

Rhythms, in  Denver, is one of three main national data CLECs, promising a high quality of service to business customers, and servicing individuals as well (mostly through Telocity and MSN.) They have investments from MCI  and Microsoft, and are opening facilities in most major cities. Consumer service is available through numerous resellers, including MSN and DSLnetworks. (3/15/01)

SBC/Pac Bell/SNET is the largest provider in the US (770,000 at the end of 2000) but is falling considerably short of their grand plans for quality and subscribers. Folks in the midwest and smaller towns are particularly disappointed, because they are not close to their 2002 goal of serving 80% through Project Pronto. (They will be at least a year late.) Their price rise to $50 is totally unjustified, demonstrating the dangers of market dominance without regulation. We choose them as company of the year in early 2000 - we hope they turn things around to earn such kudos again. (3/15/01)

Sprint will have one of the largest DSL networks (2000 offices) by the end of 2001, if the company remains independent and ontrack. Until then, they are moving slowly, city by city, but their ION product will be one of the most attractive consumer choices if they deliver on their plans. (3/15/01)

Verizon is offering DSL to about half their customers, after slowing the rollout in the GTE areas and to the 20% of customers served through DLC remote terminals. They had 540,000 subscribers at yearend 2000, with plans for 700K more in 2001. You can get service directly from Verizon's own ISP, or through Earthlink, Telocity, and other resellers. Service quality has been an enormous burden for Verizon, with many "DSL Hell" stories. We hope they will become fewer in the future. Business service is aggressively priced, but still facing operational challenges. Look soon for symmetric service for business under $100.  Residential service is at $40 as we write - we hope they don't follow SBC's increase. Ask them why their primary service isn’t 1.5Mup/384Kdown, matching the speeds of SBC & BellSouth’s basic service at a similar price.(3/15/01)

Alternative services

Several companies offer service that is very similar to DSL, although they don’t use telephone wires. Cable companies also offer a choice for many consumers.

RCN is running fiber in many neighborhoods that will offer phones, cable TV, and  internet connections on a building by building basis. Their engineering and network plans are among the most advanced in the industry, but the field performance must be proven.

Teligent offers wireless  service, requiring an antenna, usually on your roof. It's a choice if no one else services your building. AT&T has purchased a 41% interest.

Resellers

Many folks purchase DSL through an ISP (Independent Service Provider), rather than from the provider directly. There are over 1,000 resellers in the US. Here are a few of the larger ones.

For Consumers:

About 3/4 of the consumers in the US get their DSL directly from the four telcos, whose service has been disappointing. Generally, folks who have gone with Earthlink, Telocity, or other independents have gotten better performance and service - though not nearly as good as it should be. If you need serious reliability, consider one of the business-oriented providers below, such as XO/Concentric, and expect to pay a little more. AOL, MSN, and AT&T will be offering DSL to their current subsribers, but are moving slowly and have no track record in this business.

Recommendation: As a consumer, look first to Earthlink or Telocity, unless you are in Qwest territory. Compare them to your local telco.

AOL's 27M+ members are one-third of the internet, and AOL knows they will lose them to others unless they ramp up broadband.They bought Time Warner, the second largest cable company, and are actively negotiating with AT&T to serve clients by cable in their territory, too.  They have a $B investment in satellite also. But they will serve much of the country with DSL, and have deals with Verizon and SBC.  They should offer convenience and a competitive price, but the quality of your service will be dependent upon the backbone quality they provide, and their record is dismal. We are closely watching AOL for major developments. Until they decide their strategy, they are offering DSL only in very limited territories, and early experience has not been good. (3/15/01)

Earthlink, the second largest ISP in the US, has always had a reputation for friendly service. They are now the largest independent reseller, and generally have delivered better service than the telcos do directly. We have an Earthlink line, backed up by Covad, and they've done a good job. Most new customers, however, will get lines resold from the Bells..

MSN the third largest US ISP, had ambitious plans for DSL that have been delayed by the industry slowdown. Microsoft has invested $30M in both Northpoint and Rhythms.They are offering DSL to selected customers and through Radio Shack stores. (3/15/01)

Telocity is growing rapidly, serving consumers around the nation, offering static IPs, an advanced gateway of their own design, and near term plans for voice and video. They were purchased by Hughes/Direct TV, which itself is owned by General Motors. (3/15/01)

For business:

The consumer-oriented providers above offer business service as well, usually at an attractive price. AT&T and MCI also are primarily resellers; we listed them above because they've announced their own facilities as well.

Megapath is a reseller whose business model is based on quality customer service and whose six-green rating from DSL Reports suggests they are delivering. California based. (3/15/01)

Panix is a regional favorite in New York and Boston. They were one of the first ISPs in the world.

XO/Concentric is a national internet provider with a strong commitment to quality, which resells local circuits from Covad and Northpoint. They have dedicated backbone capacity, a large web hosting service with an easy to use interface, VPN security, and other services, and offer Quality of Service guarantees.