Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Cablevision To Offer 101 Mbps Down, No Caps

Posted by kdawson on from the like-a-drug dept.

nandemoari alerts us to news over at DSLReports that Cablevision will be offering subscribers 101-Mbps download service, a new US record. That's fast enough to download an HD movie in less than 10 minutes. The package, known as "Ultra," will launch on May 11 and will cost $99.95 a month. Upload speed is 15 Mbps and there are no monthly limits. Cablevision is also doubling the speed of its Wi-Fi service, which is available free to subscribers using hotspots across the Northeast. "...the company will be launching a new 'Ultra' tier on May 11. The new tier features speeds of 101Mbps downstream and 15Mbps upstream for $99.95 a month. That's an unprecedented amount of speed at an unprecedented price, suggesting that Cablevision just took the gloves off in their fight against Verizon FiOS. ... Cablevision spokesman Jim Maiella confirmed for me that the $99.95 price is unbundled, and the new tier does not come with any kind of a usage cap or overage fees."

35 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Starting to pack my things... by nschubach · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I need to find a town with Cablevision service to move to...

    --
    Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    1. Re:Starting to pack my things... by Hadlock · · Score: 5, Informative

      I had my card in hand, looking for the local number to switch here in Dallas, but the story doesn't point out that they're only located in the Tri-State (NJ-NY-CT) area. Bummer. Cablevision, do you hear me?

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    2. Re:Starting to pack my things... by bee-17 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Before you do, ask how much bandwidth Cablevision provisions to serve each neighborhood. A 100 Mbps last-mile connection isn't worth didly-squat if the CMTS head-end only has a 155 Mbps uplink. Even a gig uplink is only enough for about 80 customers, given typical 8:1 oversubscription. Many ISP's don't mind 100:1 oversubscription or worse!

    3. Re:Starting to pack my things... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      I live in central jersey and I pay an extra $10 a month for their 30/5 plan right now. I can tell you that anytime I run a speed test I come in right around 27-30/5 regardless of when I run it. Cablevision's normal plan is 15/2 and most of the people who's houses I have been to can always hit that speed regardless when it is.

    4. Re:Starting to pack my things... by QuantumRiff · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was going to moderate your post, but realized there is no '-1 Smug Bastard' rating...

      Isn't it time slashdot gave us a few more choices to moderate with? I'm nominating that one...

      --

      What are we going to do tonight Brain?
    5. Re:Starting to pack my things... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I have had 100Mbps for years now... That single megabit won't make any difference.

      Nigel: Well, it's one faster, innit? It's not 100. You see, most blokes, you know, will be downloading at 100. You're on 100 here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on 100 on your laptop. Where can you go from there? Where?

      Marty: I don't know.

      Nigel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

      Marty: Put it up to 101.

      Nigel: 101. Exactly. One faster.

      Marty: Why don't you just make 100 faster and make 100 be the top number and make that a little faster?

      Nigel: These go to 101.

    6. Re:Starting to pack my things... by Targon · · Score: 4, Informative

      I live in Cablevision territory, and will explain just how good the service is. Now, I am out on the east end of Long Island, NY in a fairly normal residential neighborhood. What I see here is around 12 megabit down, 384k up. This is with the theoretical maximum of 15 megabit down on the normal Optimum Online service.

      From what I have gathered by talking to Cablevision techs, the "Boost" package basically doubles the speeds, so you get a 30 megabit down with no caps, not sure on the upload speed. They also run the Boost service on a different frequency, so if you have a lot of people in the neighborhood with the regular service and they are sucking up the bandwidth, Boost customers will not get slowed down. Cablevision, at least out here, has plenty of bandwidth to handle providing the bandwidth. In addition to this, Cablevision has also been offering fiber optic connections up closer to New York City called Lightpath. While it is a business class offering, the fact that they have the bandwidth to offer it shows they can handle the data demand.

      A big part of a new offering like this is the number of customers in an area that they expect will be using the service, but also if they are doing equipment upgrades. Fiber cables are fiber cables(for the most part), but the equipment used to push the data through those fiber cables is the limiting factor. If they upgrade that equipment, they could in theory have a jump in the bandwidth for a fairly low amount of labor.

      Things in different areas COULD be different, but for the entire eastern half of Suffolk County, I have NEVER seen customers getting less than 8 megabit down with their Optimum Online service, except when there is a wiring issue in the house or neighborhood(which repair service can often fix in a few days).

    7. Re:Starting to pack my things... by MikeBabcock · · Score: 3, Informative

      Troll does not mean unfunny.

      --
      - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
    8. Re:Starting to pack my things... by Workaphobia · · Score: 3, Insightful

      To add to that, I live in southern Nassau county (between Suffolk and Queens, for you non-Long Islanders), and the downstream bandwidth I see hovers around 8 megabits on a "15" megabit plan, although I've seen it jump significantly higher on occasion. It's hard to tell when the limiting factor is the last mile or the remote server capping me.

      I don't torrent but I've heard a lot of complaints from a friend who's been hit by bandwidth caps in the past. They do wildcard DNS ad serving by default but you can opt out. I can't remember the last time service has gone down, although I don't live at home anymore (I'm at college in Suffolk).

      Verizon's hanging around the area, trying to spread FIOS as much as possible. Compared with the basic Optimum Online plan, my feeling is that FIOS is probably technically superior, but Cablevison does a better job of rewarding (or at least not pissing off) their customers than a company like Verizon.

      --
      Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
  2. The explicitly avoided topic... by Pahalial · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Traffic shaping! It's fine if they do or don't do it, but will companies PLEASE start being up-front about it? Put as much spin on the damn thing as you want, just at least mention it if you're doing it.

    --
    Stuff.
    1. Re:The explicitly avoided topic... by MeanMF · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yeah they used to do that and it was really annoying since they wouldn't tell you what was acceptible. But they dropped that practice years ago, and the upload speed for their least expensive service is now 2Mbps.

    2. Re:The explicitly avoided topic... by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Comcast's approach (bogus RST injection) was even nastier in some ways, since it would outright kill a connection instead of slowing it down. If you were using a protocol that didn't resume partial uploads (like Lotus Notes) you were completely screwed.

      At least with CV's approach, you could still upload stuff, it just took forever because it was so slow.

      In both cases, the companies never acknowledged that they engaged in such practices, at least not until quite a while after the public outcry.

      --
      retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  3. Yes, BUT! by C_Kode · · Score: 3, Funny

    They still don't offer NFL Network so, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!

    1. Re:Yes, BUT! by nschubach · · Score: 3, Funny

      What self respecting nerd/geek watches the NFL? Are you a spy for the jocks?

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    2. Re:Yes, BUT! by JCSoRocks · · Score: 3, Funny

      Holy crap, are those guys playing pickup games on the weekend technically LARPing?

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
    3. Re:Yes, BUT! by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 3, Funny

      They still don't offer NFL Network

      Yet another reason to sign up with them.

  4. Two choices by pathological+liar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Either they're really going to regret promising that, or they're hiding some dirty little secret...

  5. DOCSIS 3.0 by TehCable · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't get ready to move across the country for this service just yet. This is just the beginning. DOCSIS 3.0 is the new standard that supports bonding together traditional cable modem channels to support these kinds of speeds, and the equipment that supports it is currently in late development stages and is being tested by all of the major cable operators. You are going to see a lot more announcements like this one over the next few years, possibly in your area.

    1. Re:DOCSIS 3.0 by sarahbau · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not likely. In areas where there is no competition for broadband (like RTP for example), the cable companies have no incentive to increase bandwidth, and have shown over the last 10+ years that they will keep bandwidth at a minimum. Time Warner is really the only option here in Raleigh, NC. There are a few pockets that can get DSL, but there is no FTTH. The fastest DSL here, if you can get it, is 6Mbps, so Time Warner offers 7Mbps down/384 up for $50 a month. I don't see that increasing until there's some competition. Time Warner is currently trying to push a bill through in NC that makes it so cities can't even provide their own broadband to compete with them.

  6. Correction... by Foolicious · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Upload speed is 15 Mbps and there are no posted and well-defined monthly limits for now.

    (As always...) there you go, fixed that for you.

    --
    Please don't use "umm" or "err" or "erm".
  7. Great for botnets by ericferris · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The last Cablevision subscriber I saw was a friend who had a Windows machine plugged in directly into the small cable modem, with a world-routable IP address. The machine was idle and the modem was blinking constantly during the whole time I was there, without any one logged it. Needless to say, my friend complained his machine was "starting to get slow". Translation: the machine was pwnd.

    I shudder at the thought of having botnets take hold of vulneratble machines sitting on 100 Mbit/s pipes.

    --
    Fantasy: http://ferrisfantasy.blogspot.com/
  8. Re:Funny how behind the US is by Spazztastic · · Score: 4, Informative

    I suspect this offer from Cablevision won't last long, and $99 is ridiculously overpriced for something that ought to be nearly free like air and water.

    Water isn't free. You pay for clean water via your taxes and/or water bill. Or you buy it bottled.

    --
    Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
  9. Dubious speed claims by KerberosKing · · Score: 4, Interesting

    OK, so they double-bond cable modems, giving you twice the usual speed to your desktop. Then you get on the same clogged, shared network as the rest of your neighborhood, and hope they have enough bandwidth upstream to handle the potential doubling of clients (from double-bonding). In a dense residential area (urban apartment buildings for example), I have never seen a cable company actually be able to back up their claims of speed, upload or download.

    To me, this sounds as bogus as the dual-bond 56K modems where you had to buy two phone-lines just for data, and then you would want one for voice, and heck maybe even a fourth for FAX.

    What's next, a seven-bladed razor?

  10. Yay for Cablevision by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now all we need is for Cablevision to drop the price by one order of magnitude. Then we can be competitive with South Korea!

    Oh, and for all of you in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, I hate you. I hate you from the depths of the Charter service area, in the midwest. Bastards.

  11. 100 bucks!?!?!? by maillemaker · · Score: 5, Funny

    A hundred bucks a month for internet service is insane. For that kind of money a customer service rep should come over every other week and give me a blow job.

    --
    A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
    1. Re:100 bucks!?!?!? by melted+keyboard · · Score: 4, Funny

      What a brilliant idea to improve customer loyalty! We will send over Joe at once.

      Your friendly Cablevision rep.

  12. Re:Funny how behind the US is by AnotherBlackHat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Water isn't free. You pay for clean water via your taxes and/or water bill. Or you buy it bottled.

    Isn't it amazing how some people act like water falls free from the sky.

  13. Re:Canada by Chabil+Ha' · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "UP TO" means that they're advertising that speed, but their TOS will say that they don't guarantee that you'll actually get that. I have found with the various ISPs I've had that download is usually 75-90% what they advertise and upload is 40-60%, which is pretty galling, considering I would much more prefer a faster upload than download.

    --
    We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
  14. Re:Funny how behind the US is by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who hasn't?

  15. Re:Funny how behind the US is by adwarf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Water isn't free. You pay for clean water via your taxes and/or water bill. Or you buy it bottled.

    Isn't it amazing how some people act like water falls free from the sky.

    I know that was said as a joke, but in many communities around the country a normal property owner may not have rights to the surface water on their land (including rainfall).

  16. Re:Canada by sagematt · · Score: 3, Funny

    considering I would much more prefer a faster upload than download.

    I'm reporting you to the RIAA, you filthy scene pirate!

  17. Re:101mpbs impossible. by nbvb · · Score: 3, Informative

    The cable modem they're using has a gigabit port.

      http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/video/ps8611/ps8675/ps8676/ps8678/product_data_sheet0900aecd8072a168.pdf

  18. Tri-state by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 3, Funny

    THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.

    ...and it's AK-HI-FL!

    [I'm not shouting, but I am quoting someone who's shouting. Someone please tell the lameness filter.]

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  19. Re:Cablevision "expresslink" ISP caching by MikeBabcock · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They'd be smart to install intelligent caching boxes at local routing points to save themselves bandwidth. Proxy caches are a good thing for the Internet, and websites that don't work with them are both rare and broken.

    --
    - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
  20. Why people complain about it. by maillemaker · · Score: 3, Informative

    We complain about it because people in other countries are getting far higher internet speeds for the money we currently pay for much lower internet speeds.

    It's like complaining about the price of a Cadillac or Viper, and then finding out in Europe they can buy them for the price of a Honda.

    --
    A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.