Thursday March 4, 11:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Cable Broadband Forum Notes More Than 500,000 Subscriber
Base as 1999 Kicks Off as the Year of Broadband
Cable Broadband Industry Consortium Highlights Significant Subscriber Base Increases, Expanded Cable Modem Deployment And Raised Customer Satisfaction
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1999-- The Cable Broadband Forum (CBF) launched the year with a series of successes indicating that 1999 will be a pivotal year for the cable broadband industry. With the backing and membership of dozens of broadband industry leaders from the cable, consumer electronics and high technology arenas, the CBF delivers news and statistics highlighting the remarkable progress and benefits of high-speed information services via the Internet. Highlighting nearly 600,000 subscribers
countrywide, the cable broadband industry is enjoying an early lead in high-speed Internet access, while independent research companies predict cable modem technology will lead high-speed Internet services into the next century. At the close of the 1998 fiscal year, several CBF member companies announced significant increases in subscribers and cable modem deployment -- with several tripling respective subscriber based from previous year totals. The continuation of rapid deployment, increased network upgrades, retail sales of cable modems and future bundling of cable modems in next generation PCs is expected to sustain this industry's success.
''Cable covers 70 percent of all consumer households and cable operators are deploying high-speed cable modem services much faster than any other high-speed service provider,'' said Tom Cullen, CBF board member and MediaOne's vice president of Internet Services. ''The cable broadband network was designed to become the Internet's 'autobahn' by providing fast, cost-effective, widely available and easy to use access.
Supplemented by the efforts of CBF member companies like Cisco, Intel and others, forecasts indicating a mass explosion of demand for cable
modem services are rapidly coming true. In addition, AT&T's recent acquisition of TCI has created a heightened level of consumer awareness of the tremendous value of broadband services.''
The CBF is a non-profit industry consortium which acts as the voice and muscle behind the education, awareness and promotion of cable
broadband deployment. Established in early 1998, the CBF was founded to articulate the power of a network capable of delivering information
and entertainment to consumers up to 100 times faster than standard phone lines. Using cable lines rather than phone lines and corresponding cable modems, broadband technology blasts information via the Internet to the desktop without the necessity of dial up and the availability of an ''always on'' connection with no per minute charges. With data transmission rates of up to 10 Mbps (megabits per second), cable broadband is faster than any other competitive technology to the home.
Finalized early this year, a recent study commissioned by the CBF through Greenfield Online, proved that cable modem users were very satisfied with time to connect, an ''always on'' connection with no per-minute charge, cable modem reliability and ease of use. The study was conducted to uncover findings relative to how users felt about cable modem Internet service as compared to previously used dial-up services. Overall, the study found that 35 percent more cable modem users were extremely satisfied with their cable modem-based Internet service than were dial-up customers with dial-up Internet service.
In addition, findings in the study show that of the cable modem users surveyed, more than 75 percent perceived benefits in time to connect,
reliability of connections and ease of use. Speed is obviously a tremendous advantage to cable modem users, but the study also indicates that other factors are equally as important. Cable modem customers were found to access the Internet more frequently than dial-up customers -- and were also more likely to download multimedia-rich content, do online banking, check the news and stock market and conduct research on the Web.
This information supports the fact that cable modem users access the Internet more frequently, but in shorter durations so that the time actually spent online is much less. Both the speed and ''always connected'' features of cable modem technology prove that the use of cable modems redefines the online experience and changes the way the Internet is used.
CABLE MODEM STANDARDS ARE NEARING COMPLETION
To further enhance and accelerate the category's development, all major cable operators have agreed to standards for modem manufacturing. The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) certification will ensure interoperability between certified cable modems and the various high-speed, cable-based Internet services. DOCSIS defines interface requirements for cable modems involved in high-speed data distribution over a cable television network certification and will soon be viewed as a ''stamp of approval'' for the retail purchase of cable
modems. This effort, expected to hear completion late in Q1 1999, will assist in the distribution of cable modems to both consumer electronic and computer retail outlets. For cable modem users wishing to no longer lease cable modems through their cable service operator, the choice of ownership will soon be in their hands.
ABOUT THE CABLE BROADBAND FORUM (CBF)
The Cable Broadband Forum (CBF) is a non-profit industry consortium which acts as the voice of the broadband marketplace. The Consortium
was established to articulate the power of a network capable of delivering information and entertainment to consumers up to 100 times faster than
standard phone lines. The CBF boasts a membership of dozens of industry leaders from the cable, consumer electronics and high technology
arenas. Membership is available to any company with a mission to foster increased adoption of cable-based high-speed broadband information
access to the home or office. Learn more about cable broadband technology by visiting the Cable Broadband Forum's Web site at
cablebroadbandforum.com.
Requests regarding CBF membership should be directed to CBF Secretary/Treasurer Tim Segard at 303/705-7678 or tsegard@mediaone.com.
Editorial inquiries should be directed to Wendy Bulawa, McGrath/Power Public Relations at 617/227-3760 or
wendy_bulawa@mcgrathpowerpr.com. |
