Details are exceptionally vague at the moment, but Insight Communications is currently testing an internet service capable of hitting (theoretical) download speeds as high as 100Mbps. Not that we haven't seen similar services offered from fiber providers or anything, but generally speaking, 50Mbps is the high-end of what DOCSIS 3.0 provides. Then again, the article never specifically mentions said protocol, so we're left to wonder exactly what's going on and when it'll expand from this so-called "trial" stage. Can you tell we're tense with anticipation?

[Via DSLReports]

Alright Minneapolis, you've had your fun. Now it's time for another swath of Comcast markets to indulge in the lavish joys that only DOCSIS 3.0 can provide. For those unaware, the aforesaid technology enables 50Mbps internet to be delivered over the cable company's infrastructure, which brings it up to speed (ahem) with offerings by fiber-based carriers Verizon and AT&T. In the next few weeks, the DOCSIS 3.0-based "Extreme 50" option will bring 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up to subscribers in parts of New England, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Better still, the company announced its intentions to bring the $139.95 per month service to ten other big markets where it will reach "about 10 million homes and businesses in the next few months." Oh, and if that's just too much intarwebz for you to handle, an "Ultra" 22Mbps downstream service will be available for $62.95 per month.

[Via Reuters, image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]

Charter's CTO, Marwan Fawaz, recently sat down with MultiChannel to talk business, particularly business plans for 2009. Some of the highlights included his confession that DOCSIS 3.0 would only be piloted in a select few markets next year, his admission that the carrier wouldn't reach its goal of 40 HD channels across its entire footprint, and his completely unrelated blabbering when asked about tru2way. More specifically, Fawaz noted that it was "adding a significant amount of HD channels," but rather than just tossing in linear networks, it's adding on-demand. Not everything was less-than-stellar news, however, as he did state that it was just about ready to tee up switched digital video in a number of regions (albeit a tad late), Los Angeles included. We'd say you could hit the read link for a look at the full interview, but unless you're looking for reasons to feel depressed, we'd actually advise against it.

[Thanks, Josh]

It looks as if the days of Time Warner Cable resting on its laurels while laughing all the way to the bank are coming to end, particularly in NYC. Although Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs was quoted as saying that TWC was "effectively positioned in Manhattan" while "[Verizon] was just getting started," we'd say it has plenty to fear. The outfit is expected to ramp up marketing in order to push its services over those offered by competing telcos and satcasters, though without a significant boost in HD options in a significant number of markets, we can't see the spots really making much of an impact. Additionally, said exec said that the firm plans to roll out DOCSIS 3.0 "surgically" in order to compete in FiOS areas, and given that this is the company who is actually mulling consumption-based internet billing, we don't find its hesitation to go full-bore shocking in the least. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

With enough bandwidth to support 1080p video on-demand, France's Numericable has apparently found space left over in its MPEG-4 DOCSIS 3.0 network to add five new channels. All due before the end of the month, Melody Zen and Brava HDTV jump into the Premium Plus channel lineup, while Euro 1080, i-Concerts HD and Ushuaïa TV HD head to the premium package. No MTV Networks?

Comcast nabbed the first US DOCSIS 3.0 deployment award by pushing the technology out to select Minnesota residents in April, but both Charter and Cablevision are making sure to not fall too far behind. During its most recent quarter earnings call, Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge noted that DOCSIS 3.0 would be "operational this year," with around 20% of its footprint going live in 2008 and 100% to be covered by mid-2010. Charter is also poised to introduce the lightning fast broadband capabilities to its loyal customers, with CEO Neil Smit affirming that it would be launched in at least some markets "later in the year." We'd like to think this means we can all look forward to 100Mbit/sec cable internet in the not-too-distant future, but who knows how long it'll take those other MSO's to join the bandwagon.

[VIA DSLReports]

Read - Cablevision DOCSIS 3.0 rollout
Read - Charter DOCSIS 3.0 rollout

That DOCSIS 3.0 technology isn't going to waste, as Numericable is apparently going to be one of the first providers to broadcast 1080p content. The 11.25Mbps MPEG-4 streams will include videos from CinéPlay, TF1 Vision and I-Concerts, so you can check out Amy Winehouse's tattoos, pockmarks and teeth in glorious full HD, before quickly switching to National Treasure for some eyebleach. Those with the Cablebox HD can get the titles for €4.99/€3.99/€2.99 depending on the type. All we can say for U.S. operators is where's ours?

DOCSIS 3.0 continues its world domination tour, after hitting the Twin Cities, Japanese cable provider J:COM has rolled out the tech in half its systems, with plans to have it everywhere by the end of July. So far, J:COM is delivering its NET Ultra service 160Mb down/10Mb up for about $60 a month, $5 more than the next highest tier -- compare that to Comcast's 50Mb/5Mb service for $149.99. Of course in Japan, FTTP and high speed DSL systems have much higher penetration, prompting the quick rollout. While most of us are envious of Minnesota's early taste of speed, it's nice to know even they have someone to look up to.

Although we just heard that Comcast's DOCSIS 3.0 rollout was on track for 2009, folks in the Twin Cities region now have exclusive bragging rights for an undisclosed window of time. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota have become the first markets to have access to an all new "extreme" broadband (or wideband, as it were) connection, which promises 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up. As expected, the carrier isn't being modest about the launch, claiming that users can suck down a 4GB HD movie "in about ten minutes," compared to "more than six hours" on a 1.5Mbps DSL connection. The newfound speed won't come cheap -- for residential users, look to lay down $149.95 per month for the privilege. Even if you aren't springing for the good stuff, current customers in the area will have their existing broadband connections hastened gratis, with 6Mbps / 384Kbps users moving up to 1Mbps uploads and 8Mbps / 768Kbps users seeing 2Mbps uploads. Kudos, Twin Cities -- you just made most of America sick with envy.

[Image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]

While the likes of Comcast (among others) won't have DOCSIS 3.0 ready to roll out until sometime next year, France's Numericable is already dishing out the high-speed goodness. Reportedly, the French cable operator has stretched its all-fiber network to Angers, Martigues, Marseille, Lille and Metz over the past month or so, bringing the total homes touched by said network to over two million. For the lucky residents of the aforementioned cities, they are now able to receive blazing fast internet (up to 100Mbps), HDTV, VOD and lots more. If your locale wasn't mentioned, take heart, as the company is purportedly aiming to reach some 70 cities by mid-year.

If you'll recall, Comcast went out of its way to enhance the infrastructure and add a number of new HD channels to much of the Northeast late last year, and now it's finally time for South Florida to experience the same. Reportedly, a "major upgrade" is currently underway on Comcast's South Florida cable system, and we're told that said changes will provide a platform for DOCSIS 3.0 -- set to roll out in 2009 -- which will enable 100Mbps download speeds. Furthermore, subscribers throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties can look forward to a new slate of HD VOD choices to go along with six new HD channels: Food Network HD (414), USA Network HD (420), History Channel HD (422), Discovery Channel HD (424), Animal Planet HD (426) and Sci-Fi HD (427). Best of all, those newcomers are only part of the "phase one" HD expansion plan -- go on, let those imaginations run wild.

The constant struggle for cable companies to crank out more HD channels with an increasingly limited amount of bandwidth rolled right on through the 2007 Cable Show conference in Las Vegas, as a keen attendee noticed a stark absence of HDTV boasting at an expo that would seemingly showcase the format. Mark Kersey noticed that cable providers at the show set up "absolutely zero breakout sessions devoted to cable HD," and moreover, "virtually none of the high-powered panelists in the general sessions even uttered the word HDTV." His perception was that providers seemed "ashamed" of their offerings in comparison to FiOS and satellite, but considering all the flack the dishes have taken for crippling their HD feeds and making grandiose promises that we've yet to see realized, it's not like the other guys are really showing anyone up. Of course, cable has also been scolded a time or two about subpar HD quality, but the reality is that breakthroughs such as OCAP and channel bonding were able to steal the show due to the newsworthy nature of, say, hitting 150Mbps over copper. That said, we're certainly looking forward to the day when cable (or any other medium, actually) goes out of its way to put hordes of HD offerings up on a pedestal.