Cable Web Services Launches HomeStream; Gives Consumers Nationwide High-Speed Cable Internet Access, Today.PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998--Cable Web Services (1) Loosely, any online service delivered over the Web. Such usage appears in articles from non-technical sources, but not in IT-oriented publications, because definition #2 below describes the correct use of the term. (CWS CWS Chicago White Sox CWS College World Series CWS Church World Service CWS Child Welfare Services CWS Canadian Wildlife Service CWS Community Water System (EPA) CWS Canada-Wide Standard CWS Compressed Work Schedule ), the only manufacturer and provider of cable data services and systems ready to deliver broad, rapid market penetration Noun 1. market penetration - the extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market penetration - the act of entering into or through something; "the penetration of upper management by women" , today announced the national availability of its HomeStream(SM) cable data service. HomeStream is a unique service that provides home PC users with high-speed cable Internet Internet access via the cable companies. There are two kinds of service. One uses a cable modem to connect to a computer, and the other uses an enhanced cable box that provides Internet access directly at the TV. access, today, regardless of their location, and meets their requirements for high-speed, low-cost, convenience, and reliability -- a combination that others have been unable to deliver to date. "While other market solutions depend on multi-year, multi-billion dollar cable plant upgrades, HomeStream gives consumers across the U.S. a way to gain high-speed access to the Internet over cable now," stated Steve Getz, co-founder and chief technology officer of Cable Web Services. HomeStream Cable Data Service: Full Speed Ahead on Internet Access See how to access the Internet. Designed for consumers and small and home offices, HomeStream offers subscribers a turnkey Internet access package, including FREE cable modems cable modem Modem used to convert analog data signals to digital form and vise versa, for transmission or receipt over cable television lines, especially for connecting to the Internet. , software, and customer support and low-cost installation options. HomeStream delivers speeds up to 1.5 Mbps -- on average, ten to 20 times faster than today's consumer modems. In a unique partnership model with cable operators, CWS offers HomeStream with a range of service tiers to meet subscribers' budget needs and interest levels -- just like cable television. The service costs about the same as a premium channel package and is competitive with other Internet access services. "We compared a number of high-speed cable Internet services," said Bob McCabe, president of Metro Cable, Philadelphia. "We chose HomeStream because we could get our subscribers "up and running" right away. We could provide cable modems free to our subscribers to get them started and offer the service throughout our entire service area, without upgrading our cable plant," he said. HS-1000 Cable Data System: Advanced Internet Access Technology The HomeStream service is built on CWS' innovative, field-proven HS-1000 cable data system. Subscribers receive an internal HCM-1000 Cable Modem, software, and the benefits of the HS-1000 System Manager -- tiered service Tiered services is business jargon for providing a service (such as telecom connectivity or cable channel service) according to separate, incrementally distinct quality and pay levels, or "tiers." The term has current usage in the debate over network neutrality. and bandwidth management Controlling the traffic flow in a network. See bandwidth manager. . HomeStream focuses on the downstream path from the Internet to the home, where research shows more than 90% of data transfer takes place and where speed matters most. Upstream traffic from the subscriber's PC continues to travel through their current Internet Service Provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. (ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. ) over a telephone line, while downstream traffic from the Internet to the subscriber's PC travels through the cable plant via CWS' hardware and software. High Speed The entire data routing process is invisible to subscribers. The only difference they notice is a marked increase in speed -- up to 1.5 Mbps (T1 speed) -- on average, ten times faster than today's fastest x2 and K56Flex modem speeds and 20 times faster than 28.8 modems. "I think the cable modem service is great. I would not go back to a regular dial-up connection," commented Candice Nilsson, a HomeStream subscriber. "I can download a five megabyte One million bytes, or more precisely 1,048,576 bytes. Also MB, Mbyte and M-byte. See mega and space/time. (unit) megabyte - (MB, colloquially "meg") 2^20 = 1,048,576 bytes = 1024 kilobytes. 1024 megabytes are one gigabyte. file that used to take me an hour in about 2-1/2 minutes," continued Nilsson. Convenient, Reliable, and Broadly Available HomeStream service is convenient. There is no need for users to change their Internet service provider, e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address , access settings, or user preferences because HomeStream works with any ISP. In addition, subscribers will find the HomeStream service broadly available, because cable operators don't have to upgrade their cable plant to offer HomeStream anywhere in their service area. HomeStream is resistant to cable interference, making it extremely reliable. And HomeStream's "always up" dependability dependability - software reliability beats other cable Internet services that "go down" if the cable connection "goes down." With HomeStream, if there's an interruption INTERRUPTION. The effect of some act or circumstance which stops the course of a prescription or act of limitation's. 2. Interruption of the use of a thing is natural or civil. in cable service, all downstream traffic is automatically routed over the telephone connection on a temporary basis until the cable connection is restored. HomeStream subscribers always have access to the Internet. "The HomeStream cable data service works very reliably," said Scott Searcy, director of technical services at CWS. "There have been weeks in which our partners haven't taken a single support call from their subscribers," continued Searcy. Tiered Service and Bandwidth Management CWS' HS-1000 System Manager software provides comprehensive network management features that deliver tiers of service to meet the needs and budgets of subscribers and Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities that guarantee subscribers get the performance they pay for and that no individual can monopolize mo·nop·o·lize tr.v. mo·nop·o·lized, mo·nop·o·liz·ing, mo·nop·o·liz·es 1. To acquire or maintain a monopoly of. 2. To dominate by excluding others: monopolized the conversation. network bandwidth. Easy Installation HomeStream installation is straightforward and easy. After the cable operator verifies signal quality and installs a cable outlet near the PC (if one isn't available), the HomeStream HCM-1000 cable modem is mailed to the subscriber. He/she can then choose from three low-cost methods of installation: 1) self-installation, with assistance from 800-number technical support 2) drop-off installation at a local HomeStream-authorized PC service center, or 3) at-home installation by a HomeStream-authorized PC technician A person responsible for the maintenance of desktop computers within an organization. Such individuals troubleshoot problems and may be responsible for some level of software distribution. If required, preventive maintenance may fall under their jurisdiction. . After the modem is installed, the subscriber can download the software from the HomeStream web site (www.homestream.net), and the HomeStream Wizard makes configuring it quick and easy. Minimum PC requirements include 16MB RAM, Windows 95 or Windows 98, an available IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ lines used to signal the CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated. Except for PCI devices, two devices cannot use the same line. (Interrupt Request See IRQ. interrupt request - (IRQ) The name of an input found on many processors which causes the processor to suspend normal instruction execution temporarily and to start executing an interrupt handler routine. Line), an available ISA (1) (Instruction Set Architecture) See instruction set. (2) (Interactive Services Association) See Internet Alliance. (3) (Internet Security and Acceleration) See .NET. slot (Industry Standard Architecture), a modem, and an ISP account. A Pentium processor is recommended. Affordable and Available The HomeStream service, which can be offered to all subscribers within a cable operator's service area, is priced competitively. The cost of dial-up service through a local ISP is approximately $19.95/month and is paid directly to the ISP. The cost of basic HomeStream service that is offered by the cable operator is $19.95/month. Both services total $39.90 per month. Subscribers may also pay one-time installation fees totaling less than $100. CWS provides cable modems free of charge to subscribers. HomeStream 1000 one-way cable data service is available nationally, today. HomeStream 2000 two-way service will be available in 3Q'99. Cable Web Services Cable Web Services is the only manufacturer and provider of high-speed cable data services and systems ready to deliver broad, rapid market penetration. Cable Web Services delivers its turnkey HomeStream cable data service to cable subscribers through partner-ships with cable affiliates. HomeStream is a unique service model that can provide consumers with high-speed cable Internet access, today, regardless of their location, while allowing cable affiliates to quickly enter this lucrative new market, realizing immediate revenue with zero capital investment. The service features CWS' innovative HS-1000 Cable Data System, which includes FREE hardware and software for both subscribers and cable operators, and HS-1000 System Manager software that delivers tiered service, network bandwidth management, comprehensive tracking and reporting, security, and plant wide status monitoring. Cable Web Services is located in Philadelphia, PA and was founded in 1995. The company can be reached via phone at 610-238-0109, via FAX at 610-238-0221, via e-mail at info@cable-web.com, or via the Internet at www.cable-web.com. HomeStream is a service mark of Cable Web Services, Inc. "Get There Now" and "Powering Cable Internet" are trademarks of Cable Web Services, Inc. All other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. |
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