Qwest
has announced a pair of fiber-optic broadband services that deliver
downstream speeds of 20Mbps for $99.95 a month and 12Mbps at $49.95 a month. The
services are set to hit "23 of Qwest's top markets across 10 states" some time
this year, the company claims. Despite the high speeds, Qwest's services won't
be based on quite the same technology as Verizon's FiOS. Both the 20Mbps Connect
Quantum and the 12Mbps Connect Titanium connections rely on
fiber-to-the-neighborhood technology, which shares a single fiber-optic line
among multiple users. Connections to each user are typically provided via
coaxial or DSL. By comparison, FiOS connections run fiber straight up to the
user's home. Another potential downside is that, for the moment, Qwest appears
to be obscuring its services' upstream speeds. Verizon, meanwhile,
advertises a 15/2Mbps service for $52.99 a month and a 15/15Mbps for $64.99
a month on its website.
