 | | ... When will Comcast get around to these speeds? | |
|
 |  | | Re: ... I dont think they have to. The cheaper price point will do more than enough to keep them competitive while they figure out what they want to do with speeds. | |
|
 |  |  bemis join:2008-07-18 Reading, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon FiOS
| Re: ... said by FloridaBoy:I dont think they have to. The cheaper price point will do more than enough to keep them competitive while they figure out what they want to do with speeds. I agree. I switched from 25/25 FIOS to 16/2 Comcast because the $35/mo was more important then the additional speed.
Depending on what you use your connection for, and your patience, the lower speed traded off to lower price can certainly be worth it. | |
|
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  iansltx join:2007-02-19 Golden, CO kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
·Comcast
| »[Speed] Northeast speed changes coming.
Not quite what you're asking for, but it looks like an improvement over what Comcast had before, albeit only being rolled out (for the moment) in FiOS areas.
Comcast is now allowing eight downstream channels to be bonded in some areas, plus three upstreams (though generally one of those upstreams is a half-width, DOCSIS 1.1 channel so it adds only 10 Mbps of capacity). Total available capacity at that point is around 300 mbps down, 70 Mbps up. Funny how Comcast would have to use its entire capacity to match Verizon's 300M tier...my guess is that Verizon sped up its highest-end tier just so that Comcast couldn't exactly match it.
What *can* Comcast do? As mentioned above, increase Blast speeds to match 50M FiOS, and increase Extreme 50 speeds to 105M down to, at least somewhat, be comparable to the 150M FiOS tier. This leaves somewhat of a gap at the high end ($200/mo) so they could put a 200-250M tier there in areas where they have eight channels to bond, with more upload speed as well. I'll bet there will be a 250M down, 35M up tier for $200 coming within the next three or four months to areas with FIOS competition. Not sure what speeds will end up being on the new 50M and 105M tiers though; my hope would be that they would just inherit the 15/20M upload speeds from the current 50/105 tiers, but that's such a huge upgrade for Blast customers (4 Mbps up now) that I'm not sure if I see that actually happening. | |
|
 |  |  | | Re: ... Good point - it was a theoretical question because I can't even make use of the 20/4 speeds I'm getting! I don't need that much bandwidth for everyday internet access. | |
|
 |  |  | | Sorry to burst your bubble , but GPON Fios is capable of more than 300 Mbps | |
|
 |  |  |  iansltx join:2007-02-19 Golden, CO kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
·Comcast
| Re: ... I never said it wasn't. In fact, off the top of my head I know that the capacity of one PON is 2.488 Gbps down, 1.244 Gbps up (OC-48 down, OC-24 up). This is how Chattanooga EPB is able to deliver symmetric gigabit service over GPON...it's a little bit of a squeeze to do that, but nothing nearly as shaky as Cablevision's habit of shoving 101/15 onto 3x1 bonded DOCSIS 3 channels, or 30/5 onto a single channel up and down a few years back.
I merely suggested that Verizon's 300M tier was placed just out of reach of Comcast's current network capacity at the last mile, so VZ won't have to upgrade its tier speeds until Comcast starts handing out 24-channel-bonded modems to its highest-end subscribers. Those modems are out now, but in order to use them Comcast would have to dedicate 144MHz of their cable network to downstream DOCSIS channels, out of maybe 800MHz available for downstream communications overall (860MHz total, minus below-the-split return path channels). At that point Comcast will be able to hit 300 Mbps without an issue, but that level of plant upgrades would take a year or so to complete across any significant portion of their network, leaving Verizon with a bunch of well-paying, friend-recommending power users once again. | |
|
 |  |
 | | built for speed it always amazed me how some of these incumbents were bringing fiber to home and then offering such lackluster speed. Qwest brought fiber to my home 5years ago, and the top speed was 6/2. WTF? The pipe was loaded with video nobody subscribed to, and while the connection was rock solid, the performance was not fiber-tastic. I guess since the monthly fee was built in to my HOA dues, they didn't have to care. | |
|
 | | Rapacious ... Let's inflate our prices under the guise of speed increase. Rather than giving more speed at same price tiers, or cheaper pricing for previous tier, they rape us.
And the feds just nod like bobble-heads...throw more (tax $$$) at the incumbent duopolies to bump out national broadband (cough).
Hey, don't get me wrong, I love my FioS. But I'm on the lower end of the pole (pun)...I went for a cheaper tier because I don't need 35Mbps or faster...now why am I liable for Verizon's loss? Why are any of us liable for this? Meanwhile, they aren't ripping out old copper plant for new! They are still raping DSL users (and not giving them the option of ftth). And still raping landline users.
I wonder if West Virginia will put those routers on ebay...at a loss  -- Splat | |
|
 |  HarleyYacYacoPremium join:2001-10-13 Allendale, NJ kudos:2 | Re: Rapacious ... Just called to down grade... As I had errors with the website. .I'll try tonight or tomorrow, didn't have time ti wait. .. -- My opinion on religion and science? Science builds airplanes. Religion flies them into buildings. | |
|
 |  |
 |  |
 BF69Premium join:2004-07-28 Camden, TN | Higher prices just like VerizonWireless then try to tell you what a "deal" you're getting.
Call me silly but Charter's 15/3 tier at $48 is better than FiOS 15/5 tier at $65 and that with phone service and a 2 year contract otherwise Verizon charges you $75. | |
|
 |  | | Re: Higher prices just like VerizonWireless Cable speeds fluctuate though depending on neighborhood use.
Prices are still ridiculous though for both providers. | |
|
 |  |  fartnesscomputersoc dot comPremium join:2003-03-25 Look Outside | Re: Higher prices just like VerizonWireless said by HaloFans:Cable speeds fluctuate though depending on neighborhood use. I've had cable modem service since 1999 at different locations. I haven't had that issue in probably 7 years. | |
|
 |  |  Markie join:2003-07-26 Kalispell, MT | Cable speeds fluctuate less than DSL speeds in my area. The idea that it's a cable-only problem is a myth started by DSL providers, not reality. If a provider's bandwidth demand exceeds their capacity, speeds will drop. Doesn't matter one iota if it's cable or DSL. | |
|
 | | Nonsense I already have MORE speed than I need, and the price tag is high. Now I'm being charged more for something I don't want???
I want more HD channels. Where are they Verizon??? | |
|
 |  | | Re: Nonsense You're getting more HD channels! Se habla Espanol? | |
|
 |  |  BF69Premium join:2004-07-28 Camden, TN | Re: Nonsense said by osravens:You're getting more HD channels! Se habla Espanol? In HD the Spanish almost sounds like English. | |
|
 |  |  |  rtcyFACTS only pleasePremium join:1999-10-16 Norwalk, CA | Re: Nonsense said by BF69:said by osravens:You're getting more HD channels! Se habla Espanol? In HD the Spanish almost sounds like English. Singate el Español the majority of latinos want it in English.
and i want a cheaper tier than the 15/5 it doesn't matter it goes just like it was DIALK UP. give us 5/5 for 25.00 or give us back our COPPER lines and DSL that we had.
The government once again is in bed with the big companies and screwing us for the last dime. | |
|
 | | Is VZ really committed to FiOS? Seeing these price points and speed offerings, I'm not really sure this is an attempt to enhance FiOS, but an attempt to kill it.
Hear me out. To most people buying services, this kind of speed is not that important, if they even understand how broadband speed is calculated. 95% of the potential customers who are buying the 300/65 service are regular posters here.
But making their service less price competitive, I don't know how they can increase the take rate. That's the catch-22 for VZ here.
If they're not going to be promotional anymore in trying to lure customers away from the incumbent cable companies, then offering increased speed levels is not something that's mainstream enough to do it, IMO. And if that's the case, and they turn to a model similar to the other companies in not providing retention rates, then what's to stop people from turning back to Comcast/TWC/Cablevision/Cox?
It seems like a potentially divine set-up to say that nobody wants higher speeds (not because they don't, but because of the higher prices), to then claim that the market clearly wants 4G LTE and that we're not going to offer FiOS anymore.
I've always wanted to be able to get FiOS (I never will living here, even in a VZ ILEC area), but if there really is a premium price to have it, I'm not even sure I would prefer it to the cable company. | |
|
 |  wesmPremium join:1999-07-29 Redmond, WA Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Is VZ really committed to FiOS? I figure they're doing two things:
1) They're looking for the "premium" customer, or one who buys based more on features and less on price. This is the same dynamic with DirecTV versus DISH Network. DirecTV prices itself higher and, in return, has to deal less with customers who do things like don't pay on time. Verizon, I imagine has decided to stop competing on price and instead say "our stuff is AWESOME and those who know better will fork out for it." As long as FiOS has rock-solid reliability and sustained speeds, a (potentially) profitable minority will pay the extra bucks.
2) They've decided to really go after recouping the costs of the build-out. I mean, pedal-to-the-floor, paid-off-by-2016 fast. Shoveling more bits faster has a minimal incremental cost to a wired company, so if this can help them claim the need for higher rates, why not go for it? Verizon-the-landline company has been a break-even proposition at best for the past few years because of all the money they've spent on FiOS.
Plus, remember that the rates quoted above are outside of a regular bundle agreement, which Verizon really wants customers to take. Extreme HD + 50/20 is quoted at $104.99 for me, which is only $5 more than Time Warner Cable in the same market, with TWC offering half the transfer rate and fewer channels. | |
|
 |  |  | | Re: Is VZ really committed to FiOS? There's only one problem out there. How many premium customers are there really? I think in the age of biennial rate increases, there's far more people looking to penny-pinch, question what services they need, and whether they need any of them all (cutting the "cord", going all wireless).
If Verizon is going to ignore these people, then they're going to struggle to find new customers and keep old ones.
Yes, DirecTV has a premium product. But they also send me a promo every week for $29.95/month service. If you want Sunday Ticket, Extra Innings, that's there for you. But they're still trying to compete, and be all things to all people. While you can question their commitment to mainstream HD channels (the same way you can with FiOS), DirecTV is not just saying "We're better, pay for it". A request that simple would easily fall on deaf ears. | |
|
 |  |  |  wesmPremium join:1999-07-29 Redmond, WA Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Is VZ really committed to FiOS? DirecTV does offer cheap rates, but now they're only to two types of customers: Existing customers who are off contract, and new customers who pass a credit check. That $29.95 is usually only good for 6 or 12 months, but you've just agreed to a 24 month contract; that's where DirecTV gets sneaky.
To answer your other question, I guess Verizon thinks there are enough premium customers in its footprint to make the gamble worthwhile. My uneducated guess is that they're probably right, or that this is how they'll position themselves for people who do TV cord cutting ("run 12 Roku boxes at the same time!").
The thought occurs to me that it's funny how the most profitable FiOS systems for Verizon are the ones it no longer owns. The ones it sold to Frontier and FairPoint (along with copper assets it no longer wanted) recouped most of Verizon's capital expense outlay, tax-free no less. | |
|
 |  |  |  |  1 edit | Re: Is VZ really committed to FiOS? I never understood why VZ unloaded those. Could they not sell the copper and keep the fiber?
Frontier seemed to be trying to run those people off to Comcast.
EDIT: I should add that the previous residents of my house were DirecTV customers, so they probably think that because the dish is there, that I'll magically want their service. When they don't force me to buy Sunday Ticket to see the games I can here on basic cable, maybe we'll talk. | |
|
 |  |  |  |  |  wesmPremium join:1999-07-29 Redmond, WA Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Is VZ really committed to FiOS? Your guess is as good as mine, especially for the Pacific Northwest and Indiana, the markets Frontier got. It's my understanding that Frontier actively argued against taking the fiber systems, but Verizon said "take them or no deal," so Frontier acquiesced because they wanted to expand their footprint. I suppose that Verizon didn't want to operate islands of fiber with no other Verizon facilities for hundreds of miles.
Frontier stopped trying to run people (and by "people," I mean "potential television subscribers") off by mid-last year. Now they've even gotten into the full swing of things by offering double play bundles and promotional rates. Of course, this could be trying to get people back on the fiber systems because there's a rumor going around that Frontier wants to buy Verizon's copper lines in Texas and California. If they do that and they can make the fiber systems Verizon foisted on them look good enough, maybe they can hand them back to Verizon... (Nah, it's probably something silly like not wasting all this money on an expensive fiber network and figuring they should actually try to turn a profit or something. ) | |
|
 |  |
 |  Reviews:
·ooma
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| Verizon invested over $30 BILLION dollars in FTTP/FIOS.. I doubt they'd want to kill it.. what's more likely is they are positioning themselves for a fight when the DOJ comes a-callin to see why the 1996 and 2005 telecom & cablecom reform acts haven't brought competition to the whole country.. and they have the big 3 telecom & cablecom companies to blame (some more than others, of course).
Verizon, AT&T and Comcast are responsible for some of the most incidious STATE LAWS to block 3rd party ISP's and municipal governments from deploying networks in places where they've refused, delayed and outright let obsolete technologies wither on the vine while they keep running to the bank with customers who have no other choice! These companies will eventually have to answer to one of three government check's on their franchise monopoly & duopolies... the DOJ, FCC and congress will weigh in on how to fix the issue of lack of competition. Don't think that the 6-strikes copyright violation plan will be the Texas style side-step to keep blocking real reforms!
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJG75FJkjr8 | |
|
 HarleyYacYacoPremium join:2001-10-13 Allendale, NJ kudos:2 Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! Guess I am not the only one trying to downgrade or eliminate services .. Net Talk here I come »www.nettalk.com/en :/ -- My opinion on religion and science? Science builds airplanes. Religion flies them into buildings. | |
|
 |  Crusty join:2008-11-11 Sanger, TX Reviews:
·CenturyLink
·Speed of Light B..
·Embarq Now Centu..
| Re: Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! To all of those that are QQ'n about these changes, there are PLENTY of us that are currently getting raped by DSL prices that would gladly take even the bottom tier speeds/prices.
Only if it (Fios) was in my area....or another provider for that matter. | |
|
 |  |  HarleyYacYacoPremium join:2001-10-13 Allendale, NJ kudos:2 | Re: Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! Hi, Understand, but I really do not need it. Service is great !! but in this economy I will live without it. -- My opinion on religion and science? Science builds airplanes. Religion flies them into buildings. | |
|
 |  |  |  Crusty join:2008-11-11 Sanger, TX | Re: Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! Sorry about that...not directed at you. I hit the wrong - "reply" button. | |
|
 |  |  |  |  HarleyYacYacoPremium join:2001-10-13 Allendale, NJ kudos:2 | Re: Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! no prob  | |
|
 |  Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium join:2004-12-10 Lorton, VA kudos:2 Reviews:
·Bright House
| said by HarleyYac:Website crashes and Phone wait times are 20 min plus long! That doesn't surprise me. Verizon has some competent people working for them, but customers don't ever get to interact with those employees.
I'm betting there will be long waits for service. In my market, FiOS hookups often take a long time.
When I first moved into my present address I looked into FiOS and found it was 6 weeks from order-to-activation. I needed internet for work so I called Bright House and they had me online in a day or so.
For a piece of good news, I see that Vz finally upgraded their residential pricing site. They're offering me 150/65 for $105/mo (plus tax, tags, title, disposal fee and dealer delivery) w/ No Contract. 50/25 comes in at $85/mo.
In contrast, BH's top tier service is 40/5 for $85/mo w/ No Contract.
I've realized that BH either can't or won't try to close the speed/price gap. That has us BH holdouts eying FiOS harder than ever. -- The Dark Tower's Skynet evolves from 4chan. | |
|
 | | New speeds for Residential only Just chatted with a VZ rep in India. These new speed upgrades are not available for businesses at this time. | |
|
 |  |
 antdudeA Ninja AntPremium,VIP join:2001-03-25 United State kudos:4 | What about deploying in my home areas? Both cities have them, but not in my neighborhoods!  | |
|
 |  elios join:2005-11-15 Springfield, MO | Re: What about deploying in my home areas? id pay for 150mbps im paying the same for 20/2 from mediacom but i live in AT&T land and Uverus is a joke
wtb national fiber network thats based on how UT set up Utopia imo the US govt should just buy out all the last mile lines and transfer them to the USPS upgrade every thing to FTTP GPON let any one that wants to sell phone/data/tv over them have at it | |
|
 NY TelPremium join:2004-04-09 Smithtown, NY kudos:3 Reviews:
·AT&T CallVantage
| Speeds not necessary Just my two cents but I feel these speeds are totally overkill for the average user. I just upgraded from 15/5 to the 25X25 and really don't notice a big difference except for the upload. I get 30X30 already because of the overhead fluff built in and If VZ wants 10 dollars more from me a month - I'll keep what I have. It is plenty. | |
|
 |  MoracCat god join:2001-08-30 Riverside, NJ kudos:1 Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: Speeds not necessary I'd agree with some caveats.
I have Comcast's Blast (25/4) service and while I see 25+ Mbps on speed tests, in real world usage I rarely anything higher than about 15 Mbps. So for one PC, the higher speed tiers are a waste.
Where the higher speed tiers are useful is in households with multiple devices or single devices that tend to do multiple simultaneous downloads. If you have a bunch of people in your household all trying to download stuff at the same time, the higher speeds come in handy. -- The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. | |
|
 |  |  iansltx join:2007-02-19 Golden, CO kudos:2 Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
·Comcast
| Re: Speeds not necessary Yes they do.
When you have two PS3s, two desktops, a half-dozen laptops, a tablet or two and a few phones using your network for all manner of things, and one of those desktops tends to shuttle large files around now and then, you want more speed, particularly on the upload side. In my area, I can saturate the 50x15 Comcast pipe (for which I pay dearly), though honestly the download speed is gravy; it's the upload I bought up for.
If I were in FiOS territory, I could pay less than I am now for 150/65 service, or even less for 75/35. I'd probably end up on one of those two tiers.
WHen I get my own place, where I will be the only one using the 'net 99% of the time, I'll still appreciate high upload speeds, but no one is willing to provide more than 5 Mbps, and I'm not sure if I actually want to pay another $70 per month to get an additional cable line and bond it with the one I'll already have. So I'll probably sit at 30x5. If I was moving to fiOS territory, I'd certainly grab 50/25 or 75/35 in that case. But hey, I'm a power suer. | |
|
 |  Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium join:2004-12-10 Lorton, VA kudos:2 Reviews:
·Bright House
| said by NY Tel:Just my two cents but I feel these speeds are totally overkill for the average user. I used to hear that when cable speeds were overtaking DSL.
The reality is that faster end-user speeds encourage the development of services that take advantage of it. Netflix and Cloud Storage are two examples.
New online services put pressure on existing online companies to innovate and upgrade their products. In the end it's a win for consumers, even though we can't always see that at first. -- The Dark Tower's Skynet evolves from 4chan. | |
|
 Reviews:
·Charter
| Why not get two 150mbps lines??? Anyone notice that it would be much cheaper(and faster upload) to get two of the 150mbps lines and then load balance them? the price increase makes no damn sense, other than to drive people away from it(so Verizon can say "we offered and people didnt want it). | |
|
 |  See 7 replies to this post |
|
 MoracCat god join:2001-08-30 Riverside, NJ kudos:1 Reviews:
·Comcast
| What happens to those under contract? My parents have FIOS and just recently got an offer for the 25/25 for a lower price for 2 years. Will they automatically get bumped up to 50/25 or will they stay 25/25 until their contract expires? -- The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. | |
|
 |  | | Re: What happens to those under contract? I just called to upgrade my service from the 25/25 to the 50/25. I asked the rep if the 50/25 was an automatic upgrade for the people already using the 25/25 service. The Verizon rep told me that you will not be upgraded unless you call and ask them. So I'd assume you will continue with your contract price and package until you decide to change it.
Changing it required me to renew my contract which wasn't an issue as I just renewed it the other month when I dropped my bundle package. | |
|
 SqueeksDadI Miss HerPremium join:2002-09-14 Hyattsville, MD | Price goes up?
Just checked and keeping my exact same plan with the only change being the new 50/25 instead of my existing 25/25 the price goes up $10 a month? I thought the press release said that the price would stay the same. Keep in mind that I currently get 35/25 consistently on the 25/25. Not worth $10 a month for that little bit of bump. -- Ways to Relieve Stress #10. Make up a language and ask people for directions. | |
|
 | | wow So this makes Fios officially $15 more per month then cablevisions lowest tier and $5 per month then boost plus.
I hope verizon knows what its doing. | |
|
 HarleyYacYacoPremium join:2001-10-13 Allendale, NJ kudos:2 Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| Confused.... 1 question Hi, A:) Do we have to call and get the speed increase or is it automatic.
B:) if its not automatic does the price stay the same.. I got through to billing/Upgrades and they do not seem that knowledgeable on this point. -- My opinion on religion and science? Science builds airplanes. Religion flies them into buildings. | |
|
 |  | | Re: Confused.... 1 question It's not automatic, you have to call.
I was paying $74.99 /m for internet contract for 25/25. With the upgrade to 50/25, it's now $79.99. So the cost of double for only 5 more dollars is worth it IMO. | |
|
 | | Verizon officially announces... Verizon officially announces... things I can't get in Houston TX. | |
|
 |  Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium join:2004-12-10 Lorton, VA kudos:2 Reviews:
·Bright House
| Re: Verizon officially announces... said by axiomatic:Verizon officially announces... things I can't get in Houston TX. I'm in a rural county in FL and it's all over here. I don't know anyone who understands why Vz picked the markets they did. -- The Dark Tower's Skynet evolves from 4chan. | |
|
 |  |  | | Re: Verizon officially announces... Once Manatee County and the City of Bradenton said yes to TV, Verizon kicked it in gear here.
So, I can think that would be at least one reason in their thinking. | |
|
 |  |
 UnnDunnPremium join:2005-12-21 Brooklyn, NY Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| I want to upgrade, but... I currently get the FiOS Double Play Ultimate HD + 35M/35M plan for $105 (which is a sick promo rate, but it's locked in until August 2013).
To upgrade to 75M/35M, the rate would go up to $140 and I'd lose my promo rate.
So I'm sticking with 35M/35M for now.
I might wind up buying a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime, sending back the FiOS DVR and switching to CableCARD. That way I'd be able to justify upgrading to 75M/35M a little better. | |
|
 | | if they charging for newer speeds whats to prevent me from "downgrading" my 35/35 to 50/25? | |
|
 |
 | | Lower price or canceling I love Fios, but it's gotten to the point where the price doesn't justify it anymore. And Verizon wonders why they haven't seen a massive amount of people switching from cable to Fios...look at those prices! | |
|
 |  | | Re: Lower price or canceling I've been a 15/5 customer @ $55/mo for a year now. I thought the original contract was just month-to-month (I couldn't find anything about contract term in my online account). So am I forced to pay another $10/mo for no change in service when I get next month's bill? | |
|
 |  Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium join:2004-12-10 Lorton, VA kudos:2 Reviews:
·Bright House
| said by NateCohen:And Verizon wonders why they haven't seen a massive amount of people switching from cable to Fios...look at those prices! Depends on the market. Bright House can charge upwards to $400/mo for a 50/5 biz connection.
Vz has a faster biz connection for 60% less.
Over 5 years, my corporate customer base went from 80% BH to 100% Vz. -- The Dark Tower's Skynet evolves from 4chan. | |
|
 |
|