Companies Introduce Faster Internet Access

[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Li Yuan li.yuan@wsj.com and Dionne Searcey]
Cable and phone companies are introducing new souped up high-speed Internet services that allow consumers to send photos, large files and videos at speeds up to 50 times faster than regular broadband. These premium versions of broadband service can cost as much as $180/month. It's not clear how wide an audience there will be for the more expensive services. For many customers, standard broadband plans are likely to suffice for popular activities such as sending emails, shopping online and checking news sites. But a number of Web sites now offer video streams and games, which often require higher-speed Internet service to work effectively. Consumers also increasingly want to share video and photo files online -- tasks that usually require faster connections. The new premium service from cable and phone companies come as some broadband providers have cut prices for common high-speed Internet service in hopes of luring customers who still are using slower dial-up modems. In a few cases the price has dropped so low that investors questioned how the companies could make money from selling the service. By marketing the higher-priced tiers, companies are hoping to push consumers to more profitable services.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113504095161426952.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal
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