Cablevision's Optimum Online Increases Average Downstream Speed 40 Percent With No Price Increase
October 12 2004 - 12:37PM
PR Newswire (US)
Cablevision's Optimum Online Increases Average Downstream Speed 40
Percent With No Price Increase Customers Now Experiencing Average
Downstream Speeds of 5 Megabits Per Second, Maximum Speed Remains
10 Megabits Per Second BETHPAGE, N.Y., Oct. 12
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cablevision's Optimum Online(R), the New
York metropolitan area's fastest and most reliable broadband
service for the home, has unveiled new television advertisements to
announce that Optimum Online customers are now experiencing average
downstream speeds of 5 megabits per second, a 40 percent increase
from just two years ago, at no additional cost. The maximum
possible downstream speed through the service is being maintained
at 10 megabits per second. With the increased average speed,
Optimum Online is now more than triple the speed of DSL and more
than 150 times faster than dial-up Internet access. "This
advertising is designed to communicate in clear and compelling
terms that the fastest and most reliable high-speed Internet
service in the New York metropolitan area is now even faster and
more valuable," said Gemma Toner, Cablevision's senior vice
president of high-speed data products. "Our mission is to deliver
the very best, easiest and most rewarding Internet experience
possible, and our customers agree that in the markets we serve
there is nothing that even comes close to the Optimum Online
experience." In the first of two television advertisements designed
to reinforce this significant speed increase, a team of engineers
cuts a red ribbon to mark the introduction of the new, faster
Internet. A second commercial, slated to appear later this month,
features an Optimum Online "marathon runner" leaving DSL and
dial-up runners in the dust. Both spots include the concept that
Optimum Online offers a gateway to a superior Internet experience.
Optimum Online's industry-leading speeds have supported the
development and continued enhancement of Optimum Online's consumer
portal, OptOnline.net, which provides a gateway to the very best in
broadband content, multimedia programming, local information and
convenient access to round-the-clock award-winning technical
support. "Whether sending digital photos, downloading music or
visiting Web sites and Internet portals that feature multimedia
content and advanced applications, speed is an increasingly
important factor in making full and effective use of the Internet,"
Toner continued. "Our fully-upgraded network is designed to deliver
enormous bandwidth to each customer, and this superior platform is
one of the key reasons that three out of four broadband customers
in our market choose Optimum Online." Cablevision accomplished this
average speed increase by upgrading its Cable Modem Termination
Systems (CMTSs) to a higher capacity, in addition to upgrading and
replacing existing chassis with higher capacity CPUs. By designing
and operating a fiber-to-the-neighborhood network that is currently
serving fewer than 500 homes per fiber node, Cablevision has been
able to sustain tremendous subscriber growth while increasing speed
to all Internet customers at the same time. The former average
downstream speed experienced by Optimum Online customers was 3.5
megabits per second. The Optimum Online customer base has nearly
doubled over the past two years, from 610,000 in June, 2002 to
nearly 1.2 million on June 30, 2004. Average customer penetration
of homes-passed across Cablevision's service area continues to lead
the industry at nearly 27 percent, with penetration rates exceeding
50 percent in mature markets including areas of Long Island,
Connecticut, New Jersey and Westchester. Across Cablevision's
service area, 75 percent of all broadband customers choose Optimum
Online. About Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of
the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications
companies. Its cable television operations serve more than 3
million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's
advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO: Interactive
Optimum digital television offering, Optimum Online high-speed
Internet service, Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable service,
and its Lightpath integrated business communications services.
Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings LLC operates several
successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, WE and other
national and regional networks. Rainbow also is a 50 percent
partner in Fox Sports Net. In 2003, Cablevision's Rainbow DBS
launched its VOOM satellite service, the first service to offer a
comprehensive array of high-definition (HD) television programming.
In addition to its telecommunications and programming businesses,
Cablevision is the controlling owner of Madison Square Garden and
its sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The
company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, and
owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. Additional information about
Cablevision Systems Corporation is available on the Web at
http://www.cablevision.com/. DATASOURCE: Cablevision Systems
Corporation CONTACT: Jim Maiella, +1-516-803-3947, or Marie
Stenberg, +1-516-803-2352, both of Cablevision Systems Corporation
Web site: http://www.cablevision.com/
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