BellSouth is expected to announce at the TelecomNext trade show today plans to introduce a WiMAX-like technology as a backup solution for customers whose broadband connections fail. The service will cost an additional $30 per month in addition to a broadband subscription. BellSouth has been offering wireless broadband in the 2.3 GHz band as a standalone service for $70 per month in several southern cities. BellSouth decided to create the wireless backup service after Hurricane Katrina. BellSouth said customers balked at the idea of paying $70 per month to have wireless broadband available just as backup, so the company created the $30 per month add-on service. A big customer service play would be offering the service for free to key accounts.
For more about BellSouth's broadband backup service:
- read this article from CNET News.com