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U-Verse Expands In Michigan
As subscriber addition pace ramps up...

AT&T today announced that they're deploying their VDSL-based IPTV services into a number of new Michigan communities, including Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Holland, and Kalamazoo. Meanwhile, some analysts seem rosy about AT&T's speed of deployment, UBS's John Hodulik noting they added 135,000 new subscribers in the first quarter of '08, up from 105,000 the quarter before.

AT&T still has to prove they can deliver two HD streams at once over copper if they want to be a serious threat to cable, something they promised last year but have yet to deliver. Things are also going to get tricky once Comcast expands their 50Mbps DOCSIS 3.0 offerings if AT&T is still only offering users 10Mbps of usable data bandwidth.
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Yawn... they also have to get their pricing down.

Currently:
DirecTv (equivalent to U300) on 3 tuners: $63 after taxes/fees
DSL Pro: $26.88 after taxes/fees
POTS Unlimited: $57 after taxes/fees
Total: $146.88 INCLUDING ALL TAXES/FEES

U300 with 'Pro': $109
POTS Unlimited: $57
Total: $166 + TAXES/FEES on U300/Internet

With VoIP:
U300 with 'Pro': $109
VoIP: $40
Total: $149 + TAXES/FEES!

TW:
1st year: with 3 sets and 'choice' package (attempting similar packaging to what I currently have!)
$116.35 + taxes/fees add ~$25/month (according to the pricing scheme) after 12 months, and comes with 6/512kbps.

So far, TW is the best deal for me... but no real need to switch. OTA HD actually works from Santa Clarita as well.

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo

Member

Re: Yawn... they also have to get their pricing down.

pricing is the only real thing AT&T can compete on right now. and as you just showed, it's not even there...

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: Yawn... they also have to get their pricing down.

I've had sales reps try to poke how its 'better' priced than Cable, unfortunately, its pricing is the same (or worse) than cable..
Just because you start off with 3 tuners and show time/HBO, it on U300, it doesn't mean that its pricing is 'better'.
There's less choices with Uverse, and more forced bundling to get you to the same price, or higher.

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo

Member

Re: Yawn... they also have to get their pricing down.

yes. they are counting on the idiots to flock to the "better" read "different!" option.

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: Yawn... they also have to get their pricing down.

I'd take Uverse Internet only ($40 for 6Mbps/1Mbps) and Skype or Call Vantage for $25 w/o TV.

TW is offering a similar deal for me... 6Mbps/512kbps Internet and VoIP for $69. Its actually not a bad deal for me. I like the pricing I have on DirecTv, and I have few complaints (they're slowly increasing the price as well).

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

3 edits

tc1uscg to morbo

Member

to morbo
said by morbo:

pricing is the only real thing AT&T can compete on right now. and as you just showed, it's not even there...
AT&T isn't close to my hood yet. But I have this:
(because I was a previous WOW customer)
Comcast:
Digi cable w/HBO,Encore and upper tear digi channels w/HD
Dual HD tuner DVR
6/1mbps HSI (last few test has it over 20 down, 2 up tks to speed boost)
Unlimited telephone (local/LD/Canada)

72.00 1st year
99.00 2nd year (last CSR I spoke with said that price will be offered to me after the 2nd year to keep me onboard.. we'll see)

Guess for the price (and service has been been great), I'm a happy camper.

Mr Anon
@k12.il.us

Mr Anon

Anon

I've read.

over in various threds in Uverseusers that people are testing 2 HD steams right now, its not an additional stream so its 2 HD/ 2 SD and there are some that say they are testing WHDVR too.

The services has its problems but I like it better than I've ever liked cable and so far it looks betetr and works better. The price is higher even with all the discounts we get but we have tons more service than we've ever had with cable.
lew_jean
join:2005-05-13
Marietta, GA

lew_jean

Member

Re: I've read.

I have read alo that people are testing the whdvr, that I like.
I went from comcast $96.00 for digital plus for 4 TVs, no HD, Internet, or hbo showtime ect. to U300 with 4 TVs SD & HD, Stars and Showtime DRV plus 6/1 internet for $119.00 I think thats a GREAT deal

I love ther produce and service much better than COmcast ever was

Just my 2 cents

Lew N4HRA

maartena
Elmo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA

1 edit

1 recommendation

maartena to Mr Anon

Premium Member

to Mr Anon
said by Mr Anon :

over in various threds in Uverseusers that people are testing 2 HD steams right now, its not an additional stream so its 2 HD/ 2 SD and there are some that say they are testing WHDVR too.
In my opionion, 2 is not enough. Sure, right now most households now only have one or two HDTV's in them, but pretty soon 90% of TV's sold will be HDTV, and even the small 24 inch flatscreen TV you bought for your daughter is going to be HDTV.

Add to that the explosion of HDTV channels, and I foresee a future within the next 5 years where having three TV's on different HD channels on in the same house plus a fourth HDTV stream going to the DVR to record stuff.

If they are having difficulty now to do 2 HD streams, copper is surely not going to be able to deliver 3 or 4 HD channels at the same time.

Edit: I should say telecom copper, as cable tv copper has no problems with more HD streams.

GlenQuagmire
Giggidy Giggidy Giggidy Goo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-16
Grand Rapids, MI

GlenQuagmire

Premium Member

Re: I've read.

With the price of HDTV coming down I could see the family room having the nice 50", both kids with 15" in their rooms, and a 26" in the parents room. If you have a HDTV you don't want to watch the SD channels. Also, with more cable networks going to HD in the next few years their will be a point in time when most basic cable channels are HD. I can just see the fight "Mom Johnnie is hogging the HD, me and my friends want to watch Justin Timberlake".

Mr Anon
@k12.il.us

Mr Anon to maartena

Anon

to maartena
There is one thing that you and the guy below me are missing.

The four parts of the HD pie
The HD TV
The HD Service (and turner)
The HD Channel
The HD Show/content.

If you are missing any of that then No HD for you. A lot of the channels that I have now are broadcasting HD shows all the time, most are upconverted, while they still look better than standard its not true HD. With that said the box could up convert for you a standard stream, center cut it or crop a wide screen show broadcasted in 4x3 with no problem.

I do see 2 as not enough enough for everyone but what remans to be seen is just how they are going to do 2 HD, as it was said in the uverseusers thread its 2HD/2SD strems, I haven't read to see if they did this via pair bonding or through the use of a higher profile. Right now as far as I can tell all Uverse customers have a standard profile of 25/2 to the gateway, however as noted in other uverse news items some sync at a much greater rate, I sync at about 60 that would be enough to double my TV and interent services while keeping all the hardware the same. It might be bossible if they could increase the standard profile to 35 or 40 that they could squeeze in another HD stream as they don't seem to take up that much in bandwidth. Also this is done via VDSL, a medium upgrade to VDSL2 or a unknown protocol might help.

Ultimately I think however that they will be in an medium upgrade crunch before 10 years is up, the good thing is that the IPTV and vrad concept isn't so bad for future upgrades.

Wile some of the short commings of the service might keep it from being the top end all be all service I don't think any of it would stop it from being a contender.

hitachi369
Embrace Your Rights
Premium Member
join:2001-10-03
Cincinnati, OH

hitachi369

Premium Member

Will be saving me money verses Comcast.

It will be nice to save money verses what Comcast is charging me, and to be out of Comcast's grasp.

Cant wait for it to be available for me.
bogey7806
join:2004-03-19
Here

bogey7806

Member

Grand total...

That makes it 366k if it increased by 135k from the beginning of January to the end of March.
stewie316
join:2007-04-11
Jackson, MI

stewie316

Member

Not coming to Jackson, MI

Too bad they are not coming to Jackson... We could do with some U-Verse.
Answer Guy
join:2006-07-28
Grass Lake, MI

Answer Guy

Member

Re: Not coming to Jackson, MI

Let me correct your statement. They are not coming to Jackson, MI today. But, I have spotted U-Verse cabinets around Jackson, so it is only a matter of time before it goes live. The first cabinets appeared early last fall.