Subscribe
While the United States argues over broadband speeds, pricing, and usage limits, a broadband speed war is breaking out in Mexico which could deliver millions of Mexicans better broadband service at lower prices than what providers in the United States and Canada offer many of their customers.
The first shot came from Telmex, owned by media tycoon Carlos Slim. They announced a more than doubling of their company’s DSL speed from the current 2-4Mbps to more than 10Mbps.
Telmex is Mexico’s leading Internet Service Provider, and typically bundles its broadband service with a calling package. Telmex currently sells up to 5Mbps service, bundled with a phone line with unlimited local and long distance calling, plus 200 minutes of free calling to the United States, other calling features, free wi-fi access in more than 120,000 locations, and a free wireless modem/router for approximately $78 a month. New subscribers get a bond worth approximately $39 when they sign up for service.
Televisa’s Cablevision, a cable provider, announced over the weekend it would match Telmex.
“Cablevision will offer this year more than 10Mbps service across Mexico City and surrounding areas at very affordable prices,” Televisa Executive Vice President Alfonso de Angoitia tweeted.
Televisa has been playing catch-up to Telmex, but the cable company’s “triple-play” phone, broadband, and video package has been attracting considerable attention. The Mexican authorities currently prohibit Telmex from offering video to customers because of market domination fears.
Cablevision standalone pricing for their current 2Mbps service is about $23 a month with a term contract. Additional discounts are provided for bundled service — $40.33 a month for both broadband and telephone service.
The price war broke out because of anemic growth in the landline telephone business, and the potential revenue expanded broadband service packages could bring Mexican providers.
http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Mexico Cablevision Telmex Ads.flvA selection of ads from Cablevision and Telmex. (3 minutes)
Other stories of interest:
- Hong Kong Broadband Network Cuts Price in Half – 100Mbps Service for $13 A Month
- Broadband Speed — It’s All About Where You Live & What Provider You Live With
- Telecom New Zealand Fined For Misleading Customers With “Unlimited” Broadband Offer That Heavily Throttled Speeds
- Verizon FiOS TV/Broadband Arrives in Suburban Syracuse: Incumbent Time Warner Cable Says “No Price War” Coming
- America’s Mediocrity in Broadband Continues – Now Down to 28th in the World in Speed Ranking
Wonder what the upload speeds on those packages are…
its 384kbps upload =) i have the 2mgb package
You folks will probably see a major difference when they boost speeds to 10Mbps, especially dealing with multimedia.
yeah probaly my 2mgb internet is more like 1999 not 2010