Digital Speed
RIVER BENDER - June, 2010
An interesting ad appeared recently in the Sun Journal by Suddenlink. Already offering the fastest Internet service in New Bern, Suddenlink's ad announced a new 50 megabit-per-second service. Repeat, that's megabit, not kilobit. I'm already a subscriber of Suddenlink's low-end 1.5 megabit broadband service and to me it's lightening speed and over 20 times faster than dial-up service. I can't imagine 50 megabit service that's over 900 times faster!
Let's talk about bit speed and get some perspective on what has happened over the years with the speed of digital transmission since personal computers appeared.
Digital transmission is in bits-per-second or bps. Kilobits or kbps is one thousand bits-per-second while megabits or mbps is one million bits-per-second. My first "big" computer was an Apple II+ in 1981. In '84 I was given a retirement gift of an Intel modem that ran at 2400 bps. Internet didn't exist in the '80s but I was able to dial into over 600 free bulletin board systems in the Washington DC area and I also subscribed to a service called Prodigy.
Internet became available in New Bern in '94 and modem speeds finally increased to 56kbps for dial-up Internet service, which is still the maximum for dial-up, although you really only get around 50kbps (download). It is interesting to note that when I worked for AT&T in the '80s 50kbps service was called "wideband" and could only be provided as an expensive special conditioned private line. As a matter of fact early backbone facilities for ARPANET, the forerunner of Internet, used 50kbps circuits leased from AT&T.
Finally enter DSL (digital subscriber line) offered by phone companies and broadband service by cable TV companies and digital data speeds for personal computers really took off. In order to compete, companies that provided dial-up service were only able to offer DSL service obtained from the phone company; therefore, their prices were generally higher. The two leading broadband companies that emerged in New Bern were Suddenlink, with their TV cable, and CenturyLink, formerly Embarq, the local phone company, with their DSL service.
Below are current monthly rates for Suddenlink and CenturyLink for Internet data speeds offered (download). Upload speeds are always much lower:
Suddenlink Internet Monthly Rates:
Mbps with cable TV without cable TV
1.5 $26.95 $29.95
10 $41.95 $44.95
15 $56.95 $59.95
20 $70.00 $75.00 (new $110 modem required for 20mbps and above)
50 $100.00 $110.00 (new offering as of May 2010)
CenturyLink Internet Monthly Rates:
Mbps -DSL over your phone line
.768 $19.95
1.5 $29.95
3 $34.95
10 $39.95 Note this is "up to 10mbps" at least for River Bend and could be 4, 6 or 8 mbps depending on where you live and how far you are from the Telco central office.
I was told that CenturyLink prices are for a one-year contract, after which they go up $10/mo unless a special promotion exists. Also add $3.49/mo to rent a modem and a $14 installation charge. There is no contract required at Suddenlink and the one time modem cost to me was $30.