Broadband Network

Hong Kong Broadband Network Launches Free Movie Download Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2006 - 9:40am.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN), a provider of broadband Internet access in Hong Kong, announced on Tuesday the launch of a free, legal movie promotional download site for all Hong Kong residents. The site is offering five Chinese films -- "Cocktail," "My Wife is 18," "Heat Team," "Tiramisu" and "Shiver" -- with a catch: there is an 18-minute download limit. HKBN said subscribers to its 100 Mbps service will be able to download a 4GB movie in under 7 minutes, while for subscribers to competing, slower services it will likely take over an hour.

COMTek Launches First City-Wide Powerline Broadband Network in Va.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 5, 2005 - 11:19am.

Manassas, Va. - Communication Technologies (COMTek) announced on Wednesday that it has launched the first city-wide deployment of broadband-over-powerline Internet access in the U.S., for the 37,000 residents of D.C. suburb Manassas, Va. The powerline network uses the electricity grid in a city and the wiring in individual homes to provide broadband access through electricity sockets, rather than over phone or cable TV lines. The company said that currently 12,500 households and 2,500 businesses in Manassas are covered by its network, and that it has already signed up 700 customers. "Congress is looking closely at ways to improve broadband access in rural and other non-urban settings and that is why I am so encouraged by the Manassas success with broadband over powerline," said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.). "The City of Manassas and COMTek are to be applauded for their leadership roles in pioneering access in a way that has never been achieved anywhere else in the United States."