Thanks RTev,
Berst's prediction notwithstanding, he does a good job of capsulizing the race.
I agree with him that it's a tough call and also with the final point he made:
"AND THE WINNER IS...
You. The Internet cannot evolve to its next stage without fast-access. The competition will be fierce, and the fight will get ugly. But that will translate into lower costs and greater access for the consumer."
Since we're comparing DSL/cable costs (relevant in light of our discussion), my neighborhood is not yet served by TCI. Last time I checked on DSL (about a month ago), I was not within US West service area, but Covad offered me 144k service for a modem/installation fee of $610 and then $85/month. The 256k through US West (if available) would run about $50/mo (including ISP) plus modem/setup charges, I believe. The only conclusion at this point, I guess, is that prices vary widely (even within a given metropolitan area), and are constantly changing. By this time next year, many of us will have much different stories to tell, I'm sure.
Changing the subject a bit, I agree with levy's earlier comment that Monday's announcement was really two separate announcements: 1) the RCN investment and 2) formation of Broadband Partners. Too bad they got rolled together, with the RCN investment being the headline, as I think this was another contributing factor to lack of effect on GNET's price. From the GNET perspective the Broadband Partners announcement is much more significant, IMO. It answers a question I have had regarding how will GNET organizationally handle current services and a broadband-specific program at the same time. I had envisioned a separate division, but I like the Broadband Partners solution much better. From the following article, which focuses on Broadband Partners, here's a comment I alluded to previously from VV's Savoy:
"The next wave of consumers who will embrace the Internet won't be those with PCs," Savoy said. "It will be those with TVs."
seattlep-i.com
A couple of other interesting bits from that same article:
Savoy said Broadband Partners' offerings will be available in late 2000 to Charter and RCN subscribers.
They will be then be offered to other cable companies.
And, (CTCH?):
Those services could include entertainment, electronic commerce, games and video on demand, Peterson said. Additional services to be offered will include e-mail, instant messaging and chat facilities, Savoy said.
PM
P.S. yz, I'm posting from my 256k DSL at work and just ran the MSN speed test, 4 browser windows open, but nothing streaming. 1236.4 Kbps, 151.5 K bytes/sec. FWIW. |
