DSL.Net, IBM offer small business Internet access
NEW YORK (Reuters) - DSL.net Inc. (DSLN.O), which provides high-speed Internet access services, said on Tuesday it will provide digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access and services to International Business Machines Corp.'s (IBM.N) small business customers.
Shares of New Haven, Conn.-based DSL.net surged 3-3/8 to 6-1/2 in heavy morning trading on Nasdaq. Shares of IBM gained 1/4 to 121-11/16 on the New York Stock Exchange.
DSL.net provides a business-class DSL service that features a constant, high-performance connection to the Internet with guaranteed access speeds up to 25 times faster than traditional dial-up access. Under the agreement with IBM, DSL.net's "always-on" DSL service will be included as part of the IBM Small Business WebConnections product in certain U.S. markets.
IBM Small Business WebConnections is a monthly subscription offering that provides all the necessary hardware, software, and ISP (Internet service provider) and e-business services a small business needs to connect to the Internet.
"DSL.net's strong, fast bandwidth coverage in secondary cities will enable many more small businesses to take full advantage of IBM's Small Business WebConnections service," said Mike Braun, general manager of IBM Global Small Business.