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About Southwestern Bell Internet Services

What is the Internet? How and when did the Internet originate? How is the Internet organized? What is the World Wide Web, and how is it organized? What is the Information Superhighway? Who can benefit from linking to the Internet? How do you get connected to the Internet? Why is Southwestern Bell getting into the Internet business? What if I’m not sure that I want to be on the Internet? What is an online service? How does it differ from the Internet? What is a homepage and how is it used? Can I use my traditional telephone line for the Internet? What equipment do I need to connect to the Internet? How much does it cost to receive Internet access? With Southwestern Bell Internet, what types of services will I receive? Where does Southwestern Bell Internet Services currently offer Internet access? What is dial-up service? What is dedicated service? What if I need assistance or have questions about the Internet? What is ISDN and how does it impact the Internet? What is e-mail? Will I have e-mail as an Internet customer? The Internet seems so complex. How do I find the sites and the information I need? Is it true that there is a lot of explicit material on the Internet? Why should I choose Southwestern Bell Internet Services over alternative ISP’s? What is the Internet? The Internet is the global network of computers, all interconnected by telephone lines, routers and other connectors. When linked to this extensive system, computer users can access countless computer sites around the world, exchanging information and transmitting voice and video data as well. How and when did the Internet originate? The Internet began as a governmental project when, in the late ‘60s, the Department of Defense worked with the Advanced Research Project Agency to develop an internal method of transporting data between computers. In the '80s, the National Science Foundation joined the project, creating the CSnet, an experimental computer network used primarily by researchers. The Internet was applied to the computer systems in educational institutions in the mid-80s. Shortly thereafter, the network was opened to public usage. How is the Internet organized? Although no organization controls or regulates the Internet, companies involved in the networking industry have established certain standards and guidelines for the equipment they use to connect their customers to the Internet. With these established guidelines in place, the Internet is uniform enough to allow information exchange among various computers, along various types of connections. What is the World Wide Web, and how is it organized? The World Wide Web is the addressing system for the businesses and individuals that have established a presence on the Internet. Each web site, or "home base" is assigned an address for each location and access. The Web is the central "map" which organizes the Web sites for use with point-and-click technology, making the system easy to use. For example, http://dialup.swbell.net is mapped to a numeric address that your computer addresses each time you type in this English-version address; this way, there is no need for you to memorize complicated internet address numbers. What is the Information Superhighway? The Internet is often referred to as the "information superhighway" since the network is quickly becoming a key source of facts, news, guidance, data and even gossip on virtually any topic. Businesses, schools, governmental organizations – nearly every type of institution is represented on the Internet. Through Web sites, Internet users can receive a wealth of information about an ever-growing list of companies and subject matter. Who can benefit from linking to the Internet? Many people think that only computer experts can connect to the Internet. Actually, the Internet has become extremely valuable for nearly everyone who wants to receive or send information quickly. Everyone from teens wanting to explore the homepage of their favorite bands to shoppers looking for the latest fashion trends to corporate executives looking for breaking news in a particular industry – there is something for practically everyone on the Internet. How do you get connected to the Internet? The personal computer alone is not automatically linked to the network of computers known as the Internet. The only way to link your computer to the Internet is through an Internet Service Provider (ISP), a company with the equipment needed to connect the computer to the network. Why is Southwestern Bell getting into the Internet business? Southwestern Bell is a company with a proven history of providing reliable communications along a quality network. In February, 1996, the Telecommunications Reform Act became law, breaking down many of the barriers which formerly restricted companies like Southwestern Bell from providing services outside of the telephone industry. Now, with regulations decreased, Southwestern Bell can venture into new territory to better serve its customers with the networking services they want. With a solid network structure and the resources necessary to build and maintain a reliable Internet service, Southwestern Bell Internet Services recognized an opportunity to increase its role as a one-stop provider of communications services and products for its customers. Now, Southwestern Bell customers can receive local telephone, wireless, call management and Internet services -- all from one source. And Southwestern Bell Internet already has a proven track record of success. As one of the largest internet access providers in its territory, we have earned industry awards for superior technical support and reliability. What if I'm not sure that I want to be on the Internet? For anyone interest in testing out the service before subscribing to it, Southwestern Bell offers a 10-day free trial period. During this time, customers can "try out" the Internet to decide whether to continue to receive the service. What is an online service? How does it differ from the Internet? On-Line services are companies which deliver prepared information to customers. While Internet customers can access any Web site on the network to obtain information, On-Line customers are restricted to the material gathered by their selected service. If the information provided by the On-Line service is insufficient, the customer must use alternate sources. Many Online services do have access to the Internet, however the gateway to the Internet may be extremely slow. What is a home page and how is it used? A home page is is the first page a user sees when accessing any website. It serves as a navigating tool because it normally presents the user with category options for accessing various types of information. Each category can usually be accessed with point-and-click activity. For example, http://dialup.swbell.net is Southwestern Bell Internet's home page, and provides you with several options which can be 'clicked' for more information. Can I use my traditional telephone line for the Internet? Computer users can connect to the network using standard telephone lines. However, a modem and an Internet Service Provider, like Southwestern Bell Internet Services, is needed to join the Internet. What equipment do I need to connect to the Internet? Southwestern Bell's Internet offering is compatible with Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Windows NT and Macintosh operating systems. A computer system and modem are also needed. Visit our System Requirements page for more information on the types of computer systems and modems we require. How much does it cost to receive Internet access? Southwestern Bell Internet has two types of dial-up service: analog and ISDN. Both methods of access are available at the following rates: For analog (standard phone line) connections $21.95 per month for unlimited access, or $219.50 per year (one-time payment for an average monthly price of only $18.30) For ISDN connections $21.95 per month for unlimited access each month at 128K (using 2 'B' channels), or $219.50 per year for unlimited hours of monthly access at 128K (using 2 'B' channels) With Southwestern Bell Internet, what types of services will I receive? Southwestern Bell Internet customers can receive Internet access, e-mail options, search capabilities and customer service available 24 hours a day. This type of comprehensive package opens the door to limitless possibilities for the Internet customer, including connections to Web sites in every industry – music, television, sports, movies, health, travel, politics, food, the arts, hobbies and much more. Every dialup account comes with all of the following features: First 10 days FREE to try out our service Unlimited access Customized Netscape browser One Primary E-mail account Two Extra E-mail accounts Two Extra E-mail aliases One Personal Home Page (up to 15 MB) Links to hundreds of useful internet sites Award-winning, 24-hour customer service Access to over 40,000 newsgroups Speeds up to 56K Access in many locations Roaming outside of Southwestern Bell territory for only 4 cents/minute Where does Southwestern Bell Internet Services currently offer Internet access? Internet service is available in selected cities within our five State service area consisting of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. For a complete listing of all of the cities where we provide local access, please visit our Current Service Locations web page. What is dial-up service? What is dedicated service? Internet access can either be achieved through dial-up or dedicated connections. With a dial-up service, the computer user must first call into a central location, the Internet Service Provider (ISP), via a modem. The ISP then routes the computer call to the Internet. Dial-up customers are provided with a different IP address each time they call into the ISP. Dedicated customers have specific lines connected directly to the ISP which guarantee them access at all times. Additionally, they are provided with a static IP address, which allows them to host their own web page or email server. What if I need assistance or have questions about the Internet? Southwestern Bell Internet customers can send an e-mail using our Customer Support Form. What is ISDN and how does it impact the Internet? Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a network enhancement which transmits voice, video and data in digital form over traditional telephone lines. With ISDN, Internet users can send and receive information at a high rate of speed with less interruption. Southwestern Bell Internet services offer dial-up and dedicated ISDN service. Our dial-up service offers either 64 kbps or 128 kbps service. What is e-mail? Will I have e-mail as an Internet customer? E-mail, or electronic mail, is a message sent from one computer user to another using the internet. Southwestern Bell Internet customers will be provided with one e-mail account so that they will be able to send and receive e-mail. The e-mail address will be userid@swbell.net. The Internet seems so complex. How do I find the sites and the information I need? Southwestern Bell has made it easy to locate the information you need on the Internet by teaming up with Prodigy to provide search and browser services which track down the information you need quickly with point-and-click technology. You can also use a variety of other search mechanisms on the Internet. Normally, when you complete a search, you will find several leads for finding information. Simply review the resulting list of Internet locations to select the most promising. Once you reach a homepage from the search list, you can follow the links in the Web site to reach the most useful information. For instance, if you were interested in finding information about Southwestern Bell, you could type your request into the search engine. A list of relevant Internet sites would result, and you can review that list to determine which Web site is most significant. Is it true that there is a lot of explicit material on the Internet? As more and more individuals and companies have established a presence on the Internet, an extensive amount of material has become available through the network. The Internet has often been praised as a source of an unregulated, "free flowing" exchange of thoughts, guidance and facts of all kinds. Without any type of screening or controls, a wide range of material is available on the Internet -- even explicit material. While Southwestern Bell does not endorse outright censorship of the Internet, the company does believe that parents have the right -- and the responsibility -- to control the types of information that their children receive on the Internet. Why should I choose Southwestern Bell Internet Services over alternative ISP’s? Southwestern Bell provides a reliable network with an easy to use, customer-focused product -- all at an affordable price. In fact, we are consistently rated among the best in the nation for reliable connections (connect speeds up to 56K)and fewest busy signals. We can bill you on your Southwestern Bell telephone bill or your credit card, and we have 24 hour customer service and techical support available to you. Every dial-up account comes with multiple e-mail boxes and with a personal home page. You can also access your account from locations all over the country via our roaming service.

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