DirecTV's offering a new satellite broadband bundle the company hopes appeals to rural users, though it suffers from the bane of all satellite broadband: annoying usage caps. We've known
since May that DirecTV would soon be selling ViaSat's Exede satellite broadband service, and now we're getting a good look at some of the bundle pricing DircTV is offering. According to the
Exede website,
new DirecTV TV customers who bundle 12 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up can now add on Exede broadband in three flavors:
• 12/3 Mbps with a 10 GB usage cap for $40 a month.
• 12/3 Mbps with a 15 GB usage cap for $70 a month.
• 12/3 Mbps with a 25 GB usage cap for $120 a month.
Those are actually 12 month promotional prices providing $10 off the regular price, which is an offer the companies say will only last until January 31. To get those prices you have to be a new customer, and you have to sign a new two-year contract. Those unfamiliar with Exede pricing should know the usage caps don't apply between midnight and 5 AM, and users have the option of buying extra bandwidth -- at
$10 per each additional gigabyte.
Last month Verizon raised the bar for residential broadband (and high prices) when they announced their new
Quantum FiOS tiers, which included a new top shelf 300 Mbps downstream, 65 Mbps upstream tier for $205 a month. Not to be outdone, sources tell
Broadband Reports that Comcast is planning to offer a 305 Mbps downstream tier sometime before the end of the year in FiOS markets.
Comcast has hired Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi to create a
new animated marketing campaign for the cable giant promoting the fact that they're giving away a new Nintendo DS (worth around $130) to new customers who sign up for their $99 triple-play service.
According to the website, the deal ends August 10.
