Qwest revamps bundle

Qwest this week announced a bundled service offering for small businesses and residences.

Called Qwest Choice, the bundle offers customers more options and flexibility in selecting and paying for their local, long-distance, wireless and Internet services, Qwest says. Plan elements include free evening and weekend long-distance calls from home for Qwest wireless customers.

Bundles are a way for carriers to retain customers and access line revenue as they face increasing competition from each other and from alternatives, such as cable multisystem operators. With bundles, service providers offer multiple services for a flat monthly rate on one bill.

But with Qwest Choice, Qwest is now offering the potential of additional savings – such as free wireless or long-distance calling – on top of the flat monthly bundle fee.

Qwest Choice for residential and small-business customers starts with local voice service. Elements of the plan include:

* Local voice service – Residential customers receive local calling, line repair warranty service and any three features for $26 per month. Small-business customers receive local calling, line repair warranty service and any five features for $40. 

* Wireless – Residential customers who have Qwest local and long-distance service will receive free night and weekend long-distance calling on their home line when they sign up for a Qwest Wireless Freedom Plan.

* High-speed Internet service – Qwest has priced its Qwest DSL at $15 per month, plus the fees associated with the Internet service provider the customer chooses. Current customers will see this new price on their December bill.

* Domestic long-distance service – Customers will never pay more than $20 per month for long-distance calling. Customers pay 5 cents per minute, with no monthly minimum or fee, and then calls beyond the $20 per month are free. 

* Satellite video service – “Qwest DSL with MSN” customers throughout the company’s 14-state local service area who purchase new satellite video services via Qwest will receive a $5 satellite discount on top of their Qwest Choice pricing, Qwest says.

Separately, Qwest this week began offering long-distance service to residential, small-business and enterprise customers in Arizona. The FCC granted Qwest approval to offer long-distance in that state on Dec. 3.

Since then, Qwest says it has lined up more than 1.7 million customer lines for service.

With the long-distance rollout, Qwest can now offer its Qwest Choice bundle to Arizona consumers and small businesses. Customers who opt for long-distance service only will pay no more than $25 per month, Qwest says. Customers who bundle Qwest local and long-distance will pay no more than $20 per month.

Qwest is also offering one-year long-distance promotions to Arizona enterprises. Customers with at least six local service lines and committing to at least $500 per month in switched long-distance voice services may receive a per-minute rate of $0.04.

Businesses committing to at least $1,000 per month in dedicated long-distance services may receive a per-minute rate of $0.02.