.
Spectrum constitutes the public image/brand name of Charter Communications, and is the organization’s primary outlet from where potential subscribers can get hold of their preferred Internet, TV and digital Phone services. The brand was consolidated after Charter acquired the Time Warner Cable Company in a historic $65 billion merger, in the summer of 2016.
In this post, we will attempt to break down Spectrum’s services with the help of some of the more reputable ISP industry sources out there.
As you’ll see later, the company’s acclaimed Spectrum Phone plans (particularly when they come in the form of the popular bundle services provision) prove to be some of the most ‘value-laden’ of subscription services being offered within the country right now. And they have managed to garner considerable public support – over the years – to back this claim up.
In terms of Internet Speeds…
Spectrum’s service-coverage area currently spans over 42 states, including Hawaii (where, according to PC Magazine’s 2017 Top ISPs Review, it is the fastest major Internet provider in terms of bandwidth speeds).
In the same analysis, Spectrum’s Internet service has been hailed as the 6th fastest in the North Central, 9th fastest in the Northeast, 4th fastest in the Northwest, 6th fastest in the South Central, 7th fastest in the Southeast, and the 4th fastest in the Southwest regions of the United States respectively. On a national level, the service – as per aggregate measures – has been shown to provide subscribers with net downloading & uploading speeds in the 50 Mbps/10Mbps bandwidth range (with these being maximal ‘up to’ figures mostly in line with the vendor’s claim of enabling downloading speeds ‘up to 60 Mbps’).
When looked at impartially, these statistics indicate that Spectrum Internet is definitely a subscription service to beat. With downloading speeds considerably in excess of the 10 Mbps median range (which is a minimum requirement for such HD video streaming services as Netflix and Hulu), the plan can prove to be ideal for engaging in demanding online gaming and downloading sessions, as well as a host of other bandwidth-intensive activities.
According to the company’s sales description, the Spectrum Internet plan comes at a starting rate of $44.99/month, equipped with a free modem, 24/7 antivirus protection – with no term contracts.
In terms of Cable TV Services…
In today’s world, almost no one can get by without a good cable TV subscription plan. Not only is cable TV (an all-in-one term that encompasses the provision of virtually all genres of onscreen content) required for winding down after a busy day at work, but it is also proves crucial for inculcating some much-needed fun into a person’s life every now & then.
As per the annual listing of the ‘Top Cable TV Providers of 2017’ published by reviews.org, the Spectrum TV service ranked at number 10 in the nationwide report. Even though this placement might seem a little lackluster, it does indicate the TV vendor’s growing influence within the consumer marketplace.
Currently, the company offers only one standalone TV plan called the Spectrum TV Select package. Priced at $64.99/month, the service offers more than 125 digital channels (including HD), an On Demand Movie/TV Show catalog, and the Spectrum TV App. For an additional fee, service subscribers can also attain a sleek DVR that allows for more than 480 hours of video content storage.
In Terms of Talking (Phone) Services…
For many people these days, mobile phone usage has largely shifted the focus of busy verbal communicators from the traditional telephone set. But although cellular devices do offer the advantage of increased mobility, they can often be handicapped with limitations in coverage spans. On these occasions, phone users are forced to necessarily tune back to their trusty home phone devices to keep up with their correspondences.
Spectrum doesn’t offer a standalone home phone (Voice) service, like it does with its Internet and Cable TV plans. Instead, service subscribers have to make do with the company’s double play and triple-play with Spectrum Internet Customer Service that are offering some bundles, if they want to talk over landline. This is something which Charter definitely needs to work on, since not every service user is interested in paying extra.
The Spectrum Voice service provides local & international calling coverage, along with the usual round of service feature associated with most home phone subscription plans available from other vendors (but with a few extras).
One other thing we’d like to make mention of here is Charter’s customer-service support team. In our experiences of talking with them, we discovered that they were amongst the friendliest and most patient people we have come across (till date) – in our engagements with different digital services providers.
And in our book, that counts as a definite plus (by any standard)!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login or Register