DirecTV Group Inc. has introduced a satellite broadband bundle that supports maximum speeds of 12 Mbit/s downstream and 3 Mbit/s upstream, but the service's strict usage caps make it less than a video streamer's delight. Targeted primarily at rural areas with limited access to wired broadband services, the service, powered by ViaSat Inc.'s new Exede platform, includes a high-end US$129.99-per-month tier with a data cap of 25GB. The service's data policy does offer some relief for customers who surf and stream during off-peak hours -- data usage is not counted from midnight to 5 a.m. in the customer's local time zone. Customers who exceed their monthly caps are subject to speed throttling, but they also have the option to purchase more data in 1GB increments.
In a promo good through Feb. 6, DirecTV is offering a $10 discount on all tiers and waiving the $49.99 set-up fee for the first 12 months, if customers sign a two-year contract. DirecTV also has broadband and voice bundles available with several telco partners, including AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and CenturyLink Inc.. Dish Network Corp. launched a similar package with ViaSat in January.
Cox Communications Inc. confirmed a Multichannel Newsreport that the cable operator will offer more than 90 linear TV channels on via its IP-based Cox TV Connect app before the end of the year. Cox TV Connect debuted about a year ago, starting with 35 channels on the iPhone. The report says that Cox will soon add support for the iPad, with Android devices on tap for the first half of 2013. Until out-of-home rights are obtained, access to live TV via the Cox TV Connect app is limited to the reach of the customer's home Wi-Fi signal. (See Cox to Stream Live TV to Tablets .)
Eastlink of Canada is using Cisco Systems Inc.'s Videoscape, the vendor's managed multi-screen video platform, to power Eastlink to Go, an over-the-top TV Everywhere service for PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. The service will support both on-demand and live TV programming.
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