GCI increases modem speed for free

ANCHORAGE -- The speed of GCI's most popular cable modem Internet service has been automatically increased for customers in the Valley. Officially effective Dec. 15, customers were upgraded to 512 kilobits per second (Kbps) access speed free of charge.

The complimentary upgrade for the package, called GCI Silver HyperNet, represents a 33 percent speed increase from the previous 384 Kbps speed. The price for the Silver cable modem package remains $39.99 per month, with GCI long distance included. The speed increase was implemented during GCI's Internet service window, extremely early last Saturday morning.

"We're upgrading to accommodate broadband applications like movies, music, game and video services available on the Internet," said Terry Nidiffer, GCI Internet general manager. "Our broadband networks allow us to scale services continually to meet that demand, and it's a nice way to thank customers for their business." GCI's cable modem service is available to 91 percent of Alaska homes, and 99 percent of homes served by GCI cable, one of the highest rates of cable modem availability found among U.S. cable TV providers.

"There's no new technology involved," said David Morris for GCI. "We're just opening the pipe wider."

Morris said that GCI customers who had packages other than the Silver HyperNet plan, as well as customers who used GCI's dialup Internet service, would not experience the new speed increase, but that the company was at the same time increasing the amount of e-mails that all GCI Internet customers can receive, as well as the bits per transfer rate. Morris sees the speed increase as a wise move in GCI's continuing efforts to please its customers. "In telecom, the only enduring trend is that people want things faster and cheaper."

More information on the speed increase and other services that GCI provides may be found at http://www.gci.com/.