During a brief test of WildBlue’s satellite broadband, the service held up well against my Comcast residential connection. Two speed tests, performed on and , returned speeds of 10 megabits per second and 16 Mbps, respectively. Sites such as and eBay appeared to load at about the same rate as they do on my home service. Here’s a look at the cost of standard, stand-alone broadband in metro Denver:*
Comcast
20 Mbps service for $30 a month for first six months, increases to $45 for the next six months, and $60 thereafter; $7 a month to lease a modem, which can be purchased from an independent retailer; installation fee of $50.
CenturyLink
12 Mbps service for $30 a month for first six months, then increases to $50; $6 per month to lease modem or $100 one-time charge to purchase modem from CenturyLink; installation fee of up to $100.
WildBlue
5-megabit-per-second broadband for $50 a month; installation/upgrade fee of up to $250; pricing on leased and purchased modems not available. 12 Mbps service starting at the same price slated to launch in February.
*Promotional pricing subject to change and only valid for new customers; some restrictions may apply. — Andy Vuong
