IN response to the clamor for faster Internet access, the Cebu unit of a national cable company launched last week high download speed packages of up to 12 megabytes per second (mbps) in Cebu.

The Lopez-owned Sky-Cable Corp. already tested SkyBroadband plans in Manila last year and went full blast last January.

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Last Oct. 1, SkyCable Cebu began offering these packages to its cable subscribers in the province and received “encouraging” feedback, said SkyCable area director for the Visayas Ronnie Pacio in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu.

Instead of using phone lines, SkyBroadband uses SkyCable infrastructure to connect to the Internet. Cable lines can carry more data and offer higher bandwidth.

SkyBroadband packages include Plan 1.5 mbps (with monthly subscription fee of P1,199), Plan 3 mbps (P2,499), Plan 6 mbps (P4,999), and Plan 12 mbps (P6,999).

Pacio said that their highest plan is four times faster than any residential DSL (digital subscriber line).

The total initial payment for Plan 1.5 mbps and Plan 3 mbps is P2,199 and P3,499, respectively, due to the P1,000 cable modem deposit upon installation. Cable modem is free under Plans 6 mbps and 12 mbps.

All plans are covered by a one-year lock-in period.

Installation for all packages is free.

Users of SkyBroadband Plan 1.5 mbps and Plan 3 mbps will also get P175 discount on their P675 monthly SkyCable subscription fee. The two higher speed packages are product bundles that include both Internet access and free SkyCable subscription.

All SkyBroadband packages-considered as SkyCable’s value-added service-are exclusive to its cable subscribers in selected Cebu areas in Banawa, Banilad, Cabancalan, Cebu Business Park, Consolacion, Capitol Site, Guadalupe, Labangon, Lapu-Lapu City, Mabolo, Ma. Luisa Estate Park, Mandaue City, P. Del Rosario in Cebu City, and Talamban.

“The highest speed of DSL plans being offered by other broadband providers is only 3 mbps. SkyBroadband packages ensure faster connections and less time consumption. Users can do many things on the Internet in one (sitting),” said Pacio.

He added that they already have nearly 1,000 SkyBroadband subscribers who are coming from the middle- and high-income brackets.

Pacio said that when the company has enough funding, they will expand to more areas until they can cover the entire Cebu.

Since March 2008 when SkyCable Cebu offered its first cable Internet called ZPDee, the company has allocated around P30 million to upgrade its plant for its broadband project.

Pacio said that one-third of this P30 million is not yet spent since they are still waiting for equipment from Manila to further upgrade its plant’s capacity and be able to cover more areas in Cebu.

After SkyBroadband is established in Cebu, SkyCable Cebu is planning to bring the digital signal to the province next year as part of its strategy to shift its technology from analog to digital and offer affordable packages to more price-sensitive markets.