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CRX-YEM · 07-13-2005, 11:46 AM

see article source here http://www.freep.com/money/tech/comcast13e_20050713.htm

Quote:

MIKE WENDLAND: Comcast boosting Internet speeds

Some users will get upgrade free

July 13, 2005

BY MIKE WENDLAND
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

First they hooked us on all the things we could do online, like play games, download music and zip through Web sites like we were flipping pages in a magazine.

Now, to fuel our ever-increasing need for speed, Comcast said Tuesday we can have more -- lots more.

For some users, it will come at no extra cost.

You don't even have to do anything to get it. Like turning a spigot, Comcast will automatically make the Internet pipe it has into your home bigger sometime within the next 10 days.

Right now, most subscribers get download speeds of 4 megabits per second (mbps) as part of Comcast's normal $42.95-a-month Internet package if they also subscribe to cable television. Their Internet speed will soon be upgraded to 6mbps at no additional cost as the new standard.

Still not fast enough for all the digital music and games you want? There's more: Comcast announced plans to offer customers in Michigan download speeds up to 8mbps per second -- twice the speed of today's standard connections -- by July 20. Comcast customers elsewhere in the country will get it by the end of the summer.

How fast is 8mbps?

The 3-minute-long digital song that takes 9 seconds to download now at 4mbps will be done in 6 seconds at 8mbps. A movie that now takes 16 minutes at 4mbps will take only 10 minutes at the high-end speed.

That 8mbps speed will cost a bit more, depending on what else you buy from Comcast. If you also have cable, you can get the 8mbps speed for an additional $10 a month. Without a cable TV package, the faster service is $20 a month more.

But keep the price in context: Barely a year ago, Comcast charged $95 a month for a special connection called Comcast Pro that was nearly two-thirds slower than this.

"Speed is going up very fast and prices are holding steady," said Jerome Espy, Comcast's Michigan spokesman. "The network is expanding, and residential customers now will have speeds that even business users wouldn't have thought possible a year ago."

Those higher speeds will be most noticed by those who play online games, download music or watch streaming video from entertainment and news sites.

It's the third time in less than two years that Comcast has increased Internet access speeds for its 7.4 million subscribers across the country.

Comcast has 1.4 million cable subscribers in Michigan. It refuses to say how many are also broadband customers.

For those who don't have Comcast cable and currently pay $57.95 a month for broadband Internet, the automatic speed bump to 6mbps will raise their monthly bill by $10.

There also will be fast speeds for uploading, or sending, data.

Now, the standard upload speed is 384 kilobits per second (kbps). That means it takes about 15 seconds to send an average-quality digital picture. At the 8mbps download speed, the upload speed will be 768kbps, and it will take 9 seconds to transmit the picture.

Why the upgrades?

First, there's been a fierce price war with the rival Digital Subscriber Line broadband service offered by landline telephone companies like SBC.

In an effort to woo away cable subscribers or dial-up users, SBC and other DSL providers have offered service for as little as $14.95 a month for a year for new users.

Although cable companies like Comcast have engaged in aggressive price-cutting, the cable approach generally has been to offer customers speeds that DSL can't touch.

In theory, the maximum speeds that can be reached by DSL are about a third of what cable can reach.

The basic DSL speed offered by SBC is 1.5mbps. In terms of today's broadband standards, that's turtlelike.

A 3mbps DSL package is available for $24.95. But with the changes announced Tuesday, even 3mbps is way less than cable. With the new increase to a 6mbps entry level, Comcast is crowing about being "twice as fast as DSL."

That's not the only competitive urge behind the upgrades. Just over the horizon is a huge push by Comcast and other cable providers to steal telephone business away from traditional phone companies like SBC.

Comcast is reportedly only months away from a major marketing push for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone service, which uses the same cable that brings television and Internet into your home to deliver two-way telephone connections.

In making Tuesday's announcement about the speed increases, Comcast took great pains to note that it has "built a network that has virtually unlimited capacity to deliver higher speeds."

That's codespeak to the DSL industry: The gloves are coming off as speeds are going up

Battle Pope · 07-13-2005, 12:47 PM

Ah the joys of Cable Internet. You'd have to be a fool to actually WANT DSL now, unless you got SDSL for the higher upload speed.

On a side note: DAMN SON! 8 megabit = teh fast.

pissedoffsol · 07-13-2005, 01:01 PM

sweet

im already seeing 600-700k on a reguar basis from most sites. this should put me to likw 900-1000

dohcvtec_accord · 07-13-2005, 01:03 PM

Wahoo! I knew there was a reason I kept Comcast around. I hope I get teh bump up to 6mbps.

Where's one of those lame Calvin-peeing-on-something stickers for your car, with cable peeing on DSL? :P

Sabz5150 · 07-13-2005, 01:36 PM

8mbps is great, but goddamnit give me some upstream bandwidth!

CRX-YEM · 07-13-2005, 02:53 PM

upstream is getting bumped up to 768k

micah · 07-13-2005, 03:49 PM

hell pecker yeah

Calesta · 07-13-2005, 10:37 PM

Wow. I'm on Cocks... err... Cox internet down here. No Comcast or RoadRunner available. I'm still pulling 5-6 mbps though, so I'm ok.

K2e2vin · 07-13-2005, 10:58 PM

damn i wish i had Comcast(too bad they dont have service down here). in order to get faster speeds on road runner; youd have to upgrade to Premium version; which is like $85/month; but you get the 8mbps connection(normal is 4mbps i believe).

endlesszeal · 07-14-2005, 12:16 AM

1.5mbps of SBC is good for me. Its only 30 compared to 50+ for Charter cable thats 3mbps. Oh well. I dont download all that much and its fast enough.

Now only if i can get $15/month deal.

<~ Poor

TurboMirage · 07-14-2005, 02:24 AM

fucking charter sucks. i hate this shit. its slower than my old verizon DSL.

B16RacerN2NR · 07-14-2005, 06:07 AM

good to hear. as long as other companies boost internet speeds, Adelphia has to follow. So looks like I will get yet another upgrade.

asmallsol · 07-14-2005, 03:58 PM

Bah, that sucks. I am under time warner cable area so I can't get compast. The cable company charges so much, we just run DSL

07-13-2005, 01:03 PM	#4
dohcvtec_accord WRX Sellout Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The left lane Age: 32 Posts: 8,498 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 2002 WRB Impreza WRX Rep Power: 99	Wahoo! I knew there was a reason I kept Comcast around. I hope I get teh bump up to 6mbps. Where's one of those lame Calvin-peeing-on-something stickers for your car, with cable peeing on DSL? :P __________________ This space left intentionally blank.

07-13-2005, 01:36 PM	#5
Sabz5150 FALCON PUNCH!!! Join Date: Nov 2003 Age: 31 Posts: 3,338 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 1989 Accord SE-i Rep Power: 101	8mbps is great, but goddamnit give me some upstream bandwidth! __________________ lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2007-09-24 10:32 /dev/thisissparta -> /dev/null

07-13-2005, 02:53 PM	#6
CRX-YEM Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Wallingford, CT Age: 32 Posts: 4,430 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 91 CRX Rep Power: 86	upstream is getting bumped up to 768k __________________ Dennis Buy my stuff plz... Mondaswap For Sale - MPFI, 88-91 CRX, 92-95 Civic Parts Please don't PM/Email/IM me for technical support. Make a Post!!! 91 CRX DX, 03 Civic EX "There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who get binary and those who don't." "Of all my imaginary friends I don't think there was one I didn't end up having to kill"

07-13-2005, 03:49 PM	#7
micah Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: panama city beach, florida Posts: 3,516 iTrader: 0 / 0% Rep Power: 50	hell pecker yeah __________________ god called in sick today

07-13-2005, 10:37 PM	#8
Calesta Admin with a big stick Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Dallas / Fort Worth, TX Age: 32 Posts: 24,525 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 2003 S2000 Rep Power: 291	Wow. I'm on Cocks... err... Cox internet down here. No Comcast or RoadRunner available. I'm still pulling 5-6 mbps though, so I'm ok. __________________ DO NOT PM me with tech questions! Use the forums! Intercrew Auto Salon - (972) 485-8688


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07-13-2005, 01:01 PM	#3
pissedoffsol RETIRED Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Retirement Home Age: 29 Posts: 49,951 iTrader: 2 / 100% Ride: Electric Scooter Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 531	sweet im already seeing 600-700k on a reguar basis from most sites. this should put me to likw 900-1000

07-13-2005, 10:58 PM	#9
K2e2vin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Raleigh, NC Age: 22 Posts: 6,358 iTrader: 2 / 100% Ride: 88 Honda Civic HB Rep Power: 150	damn i wish i had Comcast(too bad they dont have service down here). in order to get faster speeds on road runner; youd have to upgrade to Premium version; which is like $85/month; but you get the 8mbps connection(normal is 4mbps i believe). __________________ 1988 Honda Civic Standard-more mods than I want to list 1992 Honda Accord LX 1996 Toyota Avalon-Spun bearing, for sale. Terrorists have successfully attacked our imagination. RIP Jon Eban Nie, August 31, 1991 - May 7, 2006 Y-Daniel Siu Eban, September 7, 1986 - May 7, 2006

07-14-2005, 12:16 AM	#10
endlesszeal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 2,068 iTrader: 0 / 0% Rep Power: 68	1.5mbps of SBC is good for me. Its only 30 compared to 50+ for Charter cable thats 3mbps. Oh well. I dont download all that much and its fast enough. Now only if i can get $15/month deal. <~ Poor

07-14-2005, 02:24 AM	#11
TurboMirage Running on two cylinders Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southbridge, MA Age: 25 Posts: 18,155 iTrader: 1 / 100% Ride: 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer RPW E5 Coupe Rep Power: 337	fucking charter sucks. i hate this shit. its slower than my old verizon DSL. __________________ Home of the RPW built 2000 Lancer CC Coupe. See what is done to the little Evo5. "If you don't like what I've done with my car, I will gladly refund all the money you put into it."

07-14-2005, 06:07 AM	#12
B16RacerN2NR I'll be back... Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Rancho Cucamonga - UTI Age: 26 Posts: 5,070 iTrader: 1 / 100% Ride: 06 Mazda 5, 91 Civic DX Rep Power: 156	good to hear. as long as other companies boost internet speeds, Adelphia has to follow. So looks like I will get yet another upgrade. __________________ Real Eyes Realize Real Lies

07-14-2005, 03:58 PM	#13
asmallsol Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Houghton/Livonia Michigan Age: 23 Posts: 8,101 iTrader: 0 / 0% Ride: 93 del Sol Gas sipper Rep Power: 101	Bah, that sucks. I am under time warner cable area so I can't get compast. The cable company charges so much, we just run DSL __________________ Collin Material Science and Engineering Michigan Technological University

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Comcast boosting Internet speeds, again !!!!!