Verizon, Yahoo Team for Low-Cost DSL
Yahoo and Verizon on Tuesday are set to announce a low-cost high-speed Internet service that will feature Yahoo services and is meant to compete against cable and dial-up providers.
The service includes anti-virus protection, up to 10 e-mail accounts with 2 GB of storage, commercial free Internet radio, storage space for photos and premium broadband content for $14.95 USD per month. The service requires a 12-month contract.
The speed of the DSL connection will be 768 Kbps downstream and 128 Kbps upstream. Faster speeds would be made available for an additional fee of anywhere from $19.95 to $37.95 USD per month.
Yahoo already has been offering DSL access through SBC Communications, although at 1.5 MBps speeds.
It is unclear exactly what this means for the MSN-Verizon partnership. In January, news of a partnership between Verizon and Yahoo first surfaced and it appeared as if MSN had gotten snubbed.
However, a Verizon spokesperson quickly clarified the news, saying, "If a new customer comes to us from a MSN channel, they will be offered only the MSN co-branded portal."
A spokesperson for Microsoft previously reiterated that its partnership with Verizon remains strong. "Choice for consumers is a good thing and MSN Premium will remain a choice for Verizon customers," Brooke Richardson, lead product manager for MSN communication services, told BetaNews.