Irvine Firm Offers High-Speed Net Service

Verio Southern California in Irvine will begin offering high-speed Internet service to small- and medium-size businesses in Los Angeles this week, and plans to roll out the service in Orange County in July.

The Internet company, which is working with NorthPoint Communications Inc. of Irvine, will sell customers variations of digital subscriber line--or DSL--service. The service provides Net access over standard copper lines at speeds of up to 50 times faster than those available through traditional telephone modems.

Users can surf the Internet and talk or send faxes on the same phone line at the same time.

Verio Southern California is a unit of Verio Inc., an Englewood, Colo., provider of Internet services.