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Cogeco Cable, which serves customers in parts of Ontario and Quebec, today announced the launch of the “HSI Ultimate” broadband tier offering 50Mbps download speed and 1.5Mbps upload speed.
For customers in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Halton, Ontario, the HSI Ultimate package is available today for $144.95 a month with a cable or telephone bundle, $149.95 without, with a monthly allowance of 150GB, which equals $1/GB. The company throws in free cable modem rental and a security software suite.
Cogeco's Ultimate HSI Service Map - Service First in Communities Southwest of Toronto (click to enlarge)
Within five years, Cogeco expects to roll out the service throughout its service areas in Quebec and Ontario thanks to DOCSIS 3 upgrades, which permit cable operators to better manage bandwidth and create new tiers based on speed.
Company officials said in a statement that DOCSIS 3.0 is a technology of data compression that will allow a more efficient and economical bandwidth. Thus, Cogeco Cable will better meet the increasing bandwidth at a competitive cost; give access to a higher data rate, a better video configuration and an increased level of safety.
“This new internet package shows our constant concern to improve our network to satisfy our customers. They can benefit from a more efficient service. With technological advancement, we can offer better access to downstream and upstream Internet, which allows customers to take advantage of applications, available on Internet, more easily,” said Ron Perrotta, Vice President Marketing, Cogeco Cable.
Early customer reaction was negative, because of the pricing and the paltry usage allowance.
“Garbage. Cap is too low to make 50mbps useful,” said one Trenton reader on Broadband Reports’ Cogeco forum. “If my math is correct here you can blow through your 150gb cap in 6.83 hours. That’s a ridiculously short amount of time.”
“I know they are just following suit [with Rogers Cable], but $149.95/month is pretty expensive,” wrote one reader in St. Catharines.
Another questioned the mentality of Cogeco for offering an expensive, but highly limited broadband package: “Cogeco execs are disturbingly out of touch.”
Other stories of interest:
- Rogers Cable To Unveil 50Mbps DOCSIS 3 Service in Metro Toronto – $149.99/Month & Capped At 150GB
- Cogeco Offers Unlimited WiFi to iPhone/iPod Owners in Toronto for $5 Month
- New Details on Rogers “Extreme Plus” and “Ultimate Tier” Packages
- Broadband Reports Exposes Cogeco Internet Overcharging Nightmare: ‘Their ‘Meter’ Doesn’t Work!’
- Cogeco Wants $2.50/GB in Overlimit Fees – The Gravy Train Rides On North of the Border
Another fail offer for a fast download package with crappy upload.
With the monthly caps, overage charges, and nothing for long term subscribers (since cablenet wave days) why???????
Actually still upset that they did this in June and still am considering leaving them.
Truly unhappy. Please pass this to the execs.