Jan 18 2009
Dial-Up Internet vs High-Speed Internet
Dial-Up Internet - Did you think it was gone by the wayside?
Well, it hasn’t…I still have many customers in several towns who cannot get high-speed internet through DSL or cable. Some have the option of getting it through one or more of the dish/wireless companies, but the equipment rates to get it started, and the monthly fees are prohibitive.
Not only is this a problem for the customers in this day, where almost every site loads with music, video and huge files that take forever to load on a dial-up connection…It’s also a pretty big problem for those of us who provide internet services. We have to carry lines that allow those customers to access the internet the only way that they are able. This is not cost effective unless we have many, many dial-up customers to offset these costs.
The economy is seriously affecting this, as more and more people are considering internet as a luxury, rather than a necessity, or they have disconnected their land-line because they are mainly using cellular phone service. So rather than reconnecting a phone line in order to get internet at home, they are going to libraries and hot spots, or upgrading their cell to get on the ‘net that way.
So what is an ISP to do? I really haven’t figured that out yet. Although I could provide DSL service in 14 different states - I’m a very small operation, and I can’t yet afford the extended advertising that would be require to reach these places.
I’m trying to get out there in manners such as this to reach more customers. I’m also welcoming suggestions on my website - http://www.cohsi.net - the set-up seems to work well for me - but does it work for you? The best part of the site is that you can check for DSL qualification and order right on the site, but since I need to perform a couple of other steps after the order is place, I really need feedback from self-ordering customers - So how should I implement this to make the process easiest for my customers?
