[Insight was on the list of cable msos ntop has talked to/negotiated with about the possibility of providing telephony -- that list came out at the beginning of the year.
This is the first statement I've seen from Insight that they will roll out voIP (next year).
For both Mediacom and Insight there generally is very little press. Mediacom does get involved in cable conferences.
This article defines Insight as having a loose alliance with Comcast (Comcast/Cox will deploy their own cable telephony solutions -- that doesn't tell you what Insight will do.) However, I read something about a month ago from Insight management where Insight was very unhappy with Comcast – Comcast deployed various service solutions and put Insight on hold – Insight couldn’t move forward in deploying its own business services because of the dependency on Comcast. Insight wasn’t able to go forward with plans for a considerable period, and that made them very frustrated. So actually what you may be seeing here is Insight separating itself from Comcast. However, that's a speculation.]
July 08, 2004 08:00 AM
US Eastern Timezone
Insight Announces Agreement to Transition Local Phone Service
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2004--Insight Communications Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICCI) today announced an agreement with subsidiaries of Comcast Corporation under which Insight will assume ownership and control of the circuit-switched telephone business provided jointly by Insight and Comcast subsidiaries in Insight's service areas.
Insight has since 2001 delivered Comcast's local telephone services to its customers in selected service areas under an operating arrangement with Comcast subsidiaries. Under that arrangement, Comcast provides the necessary switching and transport facilities, and Insight leases to Comcast capacity on its local network and provides certain services and support. The transfer of operational control of Comcast's telephone business to Insight announced today will take place after a transition period and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The closing is expected to occur during the first half of 2005.
"This is a very positive step as part of our commitment to offer a full suite of advanced services to our customers," said Michael S. Willner, president and chief executive officer of Insight. "The telephone component of our bundled offering fulfills the vision of the 1996 Telecommunications Act to bring competition to all areas of communications. We thank our partner Comcast for what has been a good working relationship in the telephone business these past years, and we look forward to continuing to provide telephone services in our markets, including our anticipated launch of Voice over Internet Protocol services next year."
Insight Midwest is a joint venture partnership managed by Insight and equally owned by Insight and Comcast, serving about 1.3 million customers highly concentrated in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight will continue to manage the Insight Midwest partnership. The agreement announced today is limited to the joint telephony arrangement between Insight and Comcast.
Telephone services have been deployed under the joint operating arrangement in portions of Louisville and Lexington, KY, Evansville, IN, and Columbus, OH. The services were available to a total of approximately 715,000 marketable homes passed, with approximately 60,000 active customers as of March 31, 2004.
Insight Communications (NASDAQ: ICCI) is the 9th largest cable operator in the United States, serving approximately 1.4 million customers in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight specializes in offering bundled, state-of-the-art services in mid-sized communities, delivering basic and digital video, high-speed Internet and voice telephony in selected markets to its customers. |
