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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
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For the week of September 24 - 30, 2003

News

DSL comes to Ketchum

Two companies offer
high-speed Internet service


DSL in Ketchum: What’s being offered?

·  Qwest Communications, based in Denver, provides telecommunications services to more than 25 million customers nationwide, including more than 550,000 DSL subscribers. Through its "Qwest DSL" service, the company is offering Ketchum-area residents a variety of high-speed Internet packages, with special introductory prices starting at $29.95 per month for residential service (for the first 12 months, with a "qualifying Qwest telephone package).

For more information, call (800) 244-1111 (residential), (800) 603-6000 (commercial), or visit www.qwest.com on the Internet.

·  OneWest, based in Jackson, Wyo., and Idaho Falls, is one of the largest privately held regional Internet service providers in the Mountain West. OneWest is offering DSL service in the Ketchum area for a base price of $19.95 per month, plus a fee to use Qwest-owned communication lines that increase the price for basic residential service to $41.95 per month.

For more information, call (866) 663-9378 or visit www.onewest.net on the Internet.

(Additional fees might be applied by either company.)


By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Two regional communications companies announced last week they are offering high-speed "digital subscriber line" Internet services in the Ketchum area.

Denver-based communications giant Qwest Communications announced Wednesday it is offering DSL service to residents and business owners within a roughly three-mile radius of downtown Ketchum.

Concurrently, OneWest.Net, a Qwest competitor based in Jackson, Wyo., and Idaho Falls, announced that it too has just started offering high-speed DSL Internet service in the greater Ketchum area.

OneWest will provide DSL Internet service in Ketchum through a cooperative agreement with Qwest, which owns the communication lines in Ketchum that enable dedicated broadband connections. Qwest recently upgraded the Ketchum-area telecommunications network to provide DSL services.

DSL service is provided through telephone lines that have, in effect, been supercharged by special equipment to carry large amounts of data.

DSL service essentially splits telephone lines in a fashion that allows subscribers to have continuous high-speed Internet access concurrently with regular, uninterrupted telephone service. DSL Internet connections are always on and do not require users to "dial up" a server to access the Internet.

Basic DSL lines can download Internet pages and files approximately 20-times faster than standard dial-up Internet connections, while premium DSL subscriptions can provide service that is up to 125-times faster.

Jim Schmit, Qwest president for Idaho, said DSL service could be valuable to business owners and noncommercial Internet users alike. "We are excited to be able to provide our customers in Ketchum with a service that can simplify their lives and help their businesses run more effectively," he said.

Mike Reynoldson, spokesman for Qwest, said the service is currently available only within a three-mile radius of central Ketchum, but could be expanded to the Hailey area in the future.

Qwest is awaiting a ruling from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission on whether the company can expand its DSL services in the Wood River Valley, Reynoldson said.

OneWest representatives said they are offering DSL service in same geographical area.

Jeff Rice, chairman and chief executive officer of OneWest, said his company specializes in providing Internet-related services to communities in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. "We’re committed to providing our customers with world-class Internet reliability, coupled with helpful, neighborly customer service," he said.

State Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said she believes DSL services could provide an economic boost to the Ketchum area. She said DSL service "gives our area another broadband option to help ensure continued economic growth and success and helps us remain competitive with other communities."

Cox Communications already offers broadband, high-speed Internet access via its cable lines throughout Blaine County. The service is available only to residents and business owners located within established cable service areas.

 

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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.