All of the markets where Google Fiber is mulling an expansion are extra lucky: Not only could they soon have the option to sign up for Google’s super-fast fiber service but their incumbent ISP will probably step up its own game as well if Google decides to move into their territory. For further evidence, look no further than what Time Warner Cable is doing in Austin, Tex., one of the three markets where Google Fiber has been deployed so far.
Time Warner Cable announced on Thursday that it’s offering a new plan for its customers in Austin that will deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps, which the company says is six times faster than its current best offering. TWC is boosting speeds on all of its broadband tiers throughout Austin as well: Its 15Mbps service will get a boost to 50Mbps while its 20Mbps service will get a boost up to 100Mbps, and so on. While these speeds still can’t match the 1Gbps offered by Google Fiber they’re a definite improvement over the status quo and are better than what the vast majority of ISPs offer elsewhere in the United States.
Of course, it’s pretty ironic that Time Warner Cable is boosting its speeds in one particular market where it happens to face competition even as it’s telling everyone else that they don’t really want super-fast Internet service. All the same, it’s good to see the company upping its game even if it’s only in one market.
TWC’s press release follows below.
TIME WARNER CABLE BRINGING INCREDIBLY FASTER INTERNET PLANS
ACROSS ITS ENTIRE AUSTIN SERVICE AREA
Ultimate Plan Will Feature Top Download Speed of 300 Mbps
AUSTIN, Texas (February 20, 2014) – Time Warner Cable customers will soon receive incredibly faster Internet speeds across the company’s entire Austin service area. The fastest offering, Ultimate, will deliver download speeds up to 300 Megabits per second — more than six times faster than the current top speed of 50 Mbps. Five of its six Internet plans will feature significantly faster download and upload speeds.
Customers who subscribe to Time Warner Cable Internet will begin receiving faster speeds this summer and all residential customers in the Austin area will have access to complimentary new speeds by the fall of 2014. Time Warner Cable will be the only provider to offer super-fast Internet speeds to all of its residential customers in the Austin market.
Residential Plans Current Speeds New Speeds (Downstream/Upstream) (Downstream/Upstream) Everyday Low Price 2×1 3×1 Basic 3×1 10×1 Standard 15×1 50×5 Turbo 20×2 100×10 Extreme 30×5 200×20 Ultimate 50×5 300×20 “These substantial speed increases mean Time Warner Cable Internet customers have incredibly powerful new choices for services and features to meet their needs,” said Kathy Brabson, area vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable in Central Texas. “In stark contrast to our competitors, upon completion of this short roll out phase, these faster speeds and choices will be available to every Time Warner Cable customer in every area we serve in the Austin market, not just select neighborhoods.”
Along with Austin, the additional areas receiving these new speeds include Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, San Marcos, Elgin, Marble Falls, Lockhart, Bastrop, Fredericksburg, Taylor, Smithville, Wimberley, Liberty Hill, Lago Vista, Buda, Kyle, Elroy, and Lakeway.
Business Services customers in the area will have access to the new speeds and can upgrade their service as the new plans are introduced starting this summer. TWC Business Services will introduce the new speed plans of 100 x 10, 200 x 20 and 300 x 20 as add-on options to its existing Wideband plans.
These speeds will be available at the same time the residential side of the business is launching its new consumer plans. Time Warner Cable’s Business Services offers a symmetrical fiber-based Internet service for businesses today which already includes speeds of up to 10 Gigabits and faster to business customers. These new Internet speeds enhance the varied Internet portfolio of services for businesses.
All Business Service customers and all Time Warner Cable Internet customers with Standard Internet or
above can also access Time Warner Cable’s network of more than 1,300 TWC WiFi® hotspots in Austin and more than 200,000 TWC WiFi and Cable WiFi® hotspots in cities across the U.S. by using the free TWC WiFi Finder app. Time Warner Cable is also adding an additional 1,000 hotspots in the Austin area in 2014.
Current Standard Internet and above customers will have access to new modems to take advantage of the faster speeds and additional information will be sent to customers as the launch dates approach.
Time Warner Cable offers a range of Internet speeds and prices to meet customers’ needs and recently announced the introduction of Everyday Low Price Internet, which currently offers download speeds of up to 2 Mbps at $14.99 per month.
