Cablevision Systems Corp. has raised the bar on its Optimum Online high-speed Internet service.
The cable operator increased the speeds for current subscribers from 10 Megabits per second downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to 15 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, at no additional cost.
The company also rolled out options for service at 30 Mbps and 50 Mbps in parts of its footprint. The 30-Megabit tier will come with a $14.95 surcharge on the current price, or additional $9.95 a month for customers who take its voice-over-Internet protocol telephony bundle.
Cablevision did not release pricing for the 50-Mbps tier. A spokesman said that service will be highly targeted to potential residential and business customers.
The Bethpage, N.Y.-based operator said it will begin deploying the new speeds immediately in some areas, and expects them to be available throughout its greater New York City footprint by the middle of next year.
The 30-Megabit Optimum Online Boost service also will include 15 e-mail addresses with 1 Gigabyte of storage per address, Web hosting capabilities and advanced configuration capabilities, according to officials at the cable operator.
The MSO’s Boost service will be deployed on a separate 6-MHZ Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) channel. Cablevision said nearly all existing DOCSIS 2.0 modems will be able to handle the increased speeds, should consumers want to upgrade.
The company will use technology from Narad Networks to affect the new service levels.
