Qwest Readies 20 Mbps Access Service

Qwest appears to be very close to launching a 20 Mbps downstream, 896 kbps upstream access service called Qwest Connect Platinum, available on a "naked" basis without the requirement for buying a voice line at the same time, and costing $109.99 a month.

The consumer portal now seems to be working just fine, so enter your street address or phone number, if you use landline service and are a Qwest customer, to find out what sorts of speeds really are available at your location. In my case, for example, my connection back to the central office appears to be long enough as to preclude getting 20 Mbps. About 5 Mbps is all Qwest actually can deliver to my location in Denver.

And Qwest does not seem to among those service providers who want to "throttle" use of bandwidth, as the Qwest Web site emphasizes using the service for "watching full-length movies online, multi-player Internet games, multitasking with multiple Internet applications and networking computers.

Signing a two-year contract locks in that price "for life."