Qwest offers speedy Internet services

Qwest this week announced that it is offering two new fiber-optic Internet service options with connection speeds of 12M and 20Mbps.

The services are being rolled out as part of Qwest’s ongoing fiber-to-the-neighborhood (FTTN) expansion. The 20Mbps option, known as Qwest Connect Quantum, and the 12Mbps option, known as Qwest Connect Titanium, will both offer Windows Live security features and capabilities, and will be primarily targeted at consumers and small-business users, Qwest says.

The Quantum service will be offered at a bundled price of $100 per month and will be targeted toward high-bandwidth users. The Titanium, meanwhile, goes for a bundled price of $47 per month.

Qwest says that both services will be available “in 23 of Qwest’s top markets across 10 states in 2008,” including Denver, Seattle and Phoenix. Based in Denver, Qwest offers Internet and digital cable television services primarily in Western and Midwestern states.

“Our customers tell us that they want more speed, capability and value in their connections,” says Dan Yost, Qwest’s executive vice president of product. “Qwest has committed to spend up to $300 million to bring the latest fiber-optic technology closer to the customer than ever before, and we’re ahead of schedule on our goal to make this service available to 2 million customers by the end of the year.”

With its new high-speed offerings, Qwest has become the latest telecom carrier to offer high-speed fiber-based Internet services. AT&T earlier this year upped its U-verse downstream speed to 10Mbps, while Verizon’s FiOS currently offers connections speeds of up to 15Mbps.