BellSouth Makes House Calls, AgainBellSouth Makes House Calls, Again

Just when you thought the telephone installer had gone the way of the switchboard operator and the rotary phone, BellSouth is bringing back mobile technicians in a big way. And now they can install and repair PCs, MP3 players, and digital cameras.

The former Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) announced the service Thursday. "With BellSouth Managed Home Service," said Michael Bowling in a statement, "BellSouth offers one-stop customer care for installation and support of customers' PCs, home networking, data, hardware and software applications." Bowling is vice president, platform development and integration for BellSouth.

The Atlanta-based RBOC has been seeking ways to build up business as the former RBOCs watch their traditional landline business decline. Telephone installers and repairers have been phased out as automation and more reliable telephone equipment has been phased in.

The BellSouth Managed Home Service is being offered to the firm's FastAccess DSL customers on a trial basis in the Metro Atlanta area. Zealous Wiley, BellSouth spokesman, said the service will have different "price points" determined by various tasks. Service delivered via a phone call would have one charge, while a home visit would generally carry a higher charge, for instance.

Wiley, who noted that the service has been tested for a few weeks, said technicians have been receiving specialized training. "So far, we've been getting good feedback," he said.

In a typical situation, a customer might call BellSouth for help installing a PC. If the job can't be completed over the phone, a technician will be dispatched to complete the task on-site.

BellSouth said the service for PCs will range from tune-ups and virus/spyware removal to installation of PCs and peripheral devices including printers, digital cameras, and MP3 players. Software problems will be addressed, too, in the program as well as networking installation and security. Even backups, data transfer, and migration between PCs will be provided.

Unlike its bigger RBOC siblings Verizon Communications and SBC Communications, which are installing fiber technology in their respective regions, BellSouth has moved to soup up its DSL offerings. BellSouth's new high-speed DSL service weighs in at 6 Mbps, boasting speeds twice as fast as DSL by Verizon and SBC. The latter firm is in the process of changing its name to AT&T to reflect its acquisition of AT&T.

One notable feature of BellSouth Managed Home Service is its claim that no charges will be levied for unresolved issues.