Cable Modems are the Wave of the Future

A test conducted by Continental Cablevision found that cable modems are going to change the way people surf the Net. According to the test, cable modems are up to 1,000 times faster than telephone lines.

Dec. 27, 1995 1:00 p.m. PT

Cable, telephone, and communications companies including TCI, Motorola, Time Warner, and Netcom On-Line are jumping on the bandwagon to provide high-speed Internet access to consumers. According to a test conducted by Continental Cablevision, cable modems are the wave of the future. Cable wires can carry digital data up to 1,000 times faster than telephone lines, according to Motorola officials.

Continental installed cable modems in 6,600 dormitory rooms, 2,500 classrooms, and 400 offices on the Boston College campus for the test, which was code-named Project Agora.

The results of the project thus far have shown that high-speed access increases the likelihood that users will become addicted to surfing the Net, according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal.

Forrester Research predicts that 7 million consumers will use cable modems by the year 2000, producing $1.3 billion in revenue. Subscriptions will range from $15 to $40 per month for unlimited Internet access.