Nov 30, 2012
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**Time Warner Tries To Compete With Google Fiber -- But Doesn't Measure Up*
by Wendy Davis
MediaPost.com
Nov 30, 2012, 5:36 PM
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/188290/time-warner-tries-to-compete-with-google-fiber-.html
Google's new high speed network in Kansas City seems to have lit a fire
under Time Warner Cable.
This week, the cable giant rolled out 14 new WiFi hot spots throughout
Kansas City. Time Warner also announced it will offer Internet access to
households with students for under $10 a month, provided the homes
didn't previously have broadband connections.
That's not all. The company reportedly is going door-to-door -- even in
neighborhoods where Google Fiber isn't yet available -- to ask residents
if they're happy with their existing Time Warner service, according to
BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield.
Why should Google Fiber have this kind of impact? The answer is simple:
speed and price. Or, as Business Insider puts it, "Google Fiber puts the
Time Warner Cable offering to shame."
Specifically, Google is offering residents of Kansas City (in Kansas and
Missouri) download and upload speeds of up to 1Gbps -- which is more
than 100 times faster than average U.S. connections. For another, the
price structure is surprisingly reasonable. Google's most expensive
package, which includes TV service, is $120 a month. Subscribers to that
plan will also receive a free Nexus 7 tablet.
Internet-only service costs $70 a month, and Google is offering free 5
Mbps connections for seven years to residents who pay a one-time fee of
$300.
While these developments are good news for Kansas City residents, they
also make clear just how much room for improvement exists for the major
incumbents. In New York City, many people pay Time Warner more than $110
for triple play service with speeds that don't approach Google's 1Gbps.
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