The key point is to educate not on the technology, but on important benefits to users. End users must be made aware of not only the always on characteristics of DSL, but also how DSL can make their lives better. Our Website is very education-oriented, says Eric Moyer, director of access services and product marketing at Covad. It shows potential users what DSL is and what problems it can solve in their lives. This element has only just begun, with some of the ILECs and smaller players setting up kiosks in retail centers such as Staples and Radio Shack, which demos the service to the prospect, qualifies their line, and inputs the service order.
Customers can then pick up a modem and wait for their installation.
The next step is to enable DSL distribution through more retail points, PC OEMs, and other sources. Enzo Signore, director of DSL marketing at Cisco says, If we can make DSL as ubiquitous as dialup, where users can have a DSL modem on a laptop and connect to DSL wherever they go, then the opportunity to reach mass-market numbers will be much more possible. Covad, Rhythms, and NorthPoint are deploying G.lite to some extent in central offices, but larger DSL players are not embracing it. Although there would be some spectral compatibility relief, most of the benefits of G.lite have been mitigated by the success of our splitterless ADSL offering. G.lite support, if at all.