Charter Communications has kicked off all-digital upgrades systems serving Montana, Wyoming and Colorado that will clear out headroom for several service enhancements, including more HD channels, expanded access to its VOD library, and faster broadband speeds.
This wave of upgrades, which center on former Bresnan Communications/Optimum West systems that Charter acquired from Cablevision Systems last year, are expected to get underway in August and wrap up in November. The upgrade will touch more than 35 communities including Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Canon City, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Durango, Gillette, Grand Junction, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, Montrose and Sheridan.
As it's been with other upgrades, which reclaim analog spectrum for new digital offerings, customers in those areas will be required to obtain Charter-issued digital set-tops for each TV. Instead of facilitating the upgrade with one-way Digital Transport Adapters, Charter has opted to rely on two-way digital boxes.
Once the 100% digital upgrade is complete, Charter said it will offer more than 200 HD channels, bump residential broadband speeds from 30 Mbps (downstream) to 60 Mbps for no additional cost, and provide customers to a VOD library stocked with more than 4,5000 titles.
Charter has already completed all-digital upgrades in several markets, including parts of Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, Michigan and Massachusetts. It expects to complete the upgrade across its 29-state footprint by the end of this year.
Charter has also been tying the upgrades and service enhancements to the launch of its new “Spectrum” branding.
