TW announced that it was going to test market tiered broadband in Rochester and a few other cities, but just announced that they were shelving those plans. Most publications pointed to protests by TW customers as the reason. Was it? While it's true that there were protests, I think another "influence" caused them to take a second look at their plans. Here's what I think...
TW right now works hard to bundle their Broadband service with their VoIP and TV services. Sure, they can hide the cost in the bundle, but they can't hide the bandwidth. Right now, they pump at 1.2MB/s, or about 10Mb/s. that sounds pretty good until you realize that some 3rd world nations provide 8 times that much for only the equivalent of $10/month! - but that's another story. So what could get TW's panties in a bunch? Let's see...
Right now, my "old" iPhone is on the Edge network, which is, I think, around 750Kb/s. Not very fast, but slow & steady. The data plan for it is $20/month. No competition there for TW! How about the "newer" iPhone?... it uses 3G (HSPA) for it's data. Right now, 3G from AT&T goes at 3.6Mb/s and costs $30/month. Still no big competition, but for lots of users, it would suffice in place of TW if AT&T would allow "Tethering" - using the phone as the network connection. (Which they don't right now)
What worries TW is what is coming next. AT&T and others are currently upgrading their HSPA networks to the next "bump" in speed, to 7.2Mb/s, and that's where they become direct competitors to TW's Broadband. What's even worse is that "NetBooks" from Dell, LG, and Acer are due to start shipping in the near future, and they have built-in HSPA & WiFi support. Who needs TW's cable when you can be connected almost anywhere, anytime - wirelessly.
But it doesn't stop there. HSPA can be tweaked up to 14.4Kb/s, but the next phase - "HSPA+" is already proven. It requires more hardware changes though. AT&T's goal is to rollout HSPA+ by 2011, and that's 21Mb/s!! Yup, that's twice what TW is allowing right now over cable, and you'll be able to get that over the air. That's what's got TW scared shitless. The idea that you won't need a cable to get your phone, internet, or even TV shows. That makes their whole monopolistic infrastructure about worthless!! AT&T and Verizon will rollout plans for access not just for phones, but for loads of electronic goodies, from computers to cameras to game sets.
The netbook idea has been tried before, but it always required a cable. What got this new paradigm started was the introduction of the iPhone - not just as another "phone", but as a "portable computer," or an extension of your office. More and more people are finding themselves using the mail, the browser, and other applications on a daily basis, and becoming dependent on a constant internet connection. Why do we need to sit at home in a room when we can be at the beach, or in a hammock, or even at a bar, and extend ourselves into the rest of the world?
