Montréal, February 20, 2006 – Starting March 8, Internet users who need speed will be able to go 300% faster than the current high-speed Internet service when Videotron launches its new Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet service, which will deliver speeds of up to 16 mbps.
Videotron becomes the first telecom provider in Canada to offer residential service at this speed throughout its service area, cementing its position as the clear leader in consumer Internet services in Québec.
"With this launch, Videotron lengthens its lead and preserves its position as the only true provider of Internet speed," said Robert Dépatie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Videotron. "We continue to honour our pledge to customers by offering not only the fastest service available but also solutions to meet a wide range of needs in order to deliver the best possible user experience."
The best navigation experience
Videotron's new service will be attractive to many types of Internet users who demand speed for different types of applications. According to a recent study by the Centre francophone d'informatisation des organisations (CEFRIO), the proportion of adult Quebecers who use the Internet regularly has nearly doubled over the past six years, from 34% to 64%. As of March 2005, 1.15 million Québec households had high-speed Internet.1
With a download speed of up to 16 mbps and upload speed of 1 mbps, Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet is a solution tailored to users' needs, letting them transfer bandwidth-hungry legally downloadable content with unprecedented ease. Subscribers will have access to uninterrupted tech support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet is the optimal service for experiencing online video and music, offering seamless, halt-free viewing and listening for customers who watch video or listen to music on the Internet.
Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet will also dramatically accelerate downloads of images, videos and music files that are legally available online, a practice which is booming in popularity and expected to continue growing exponentially.
Networked gaming fans will appreciate Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet since it substantially reduces response time (or "ping time"), letting them react must faster in daunting online gaming situations, a capability that is sure to please the young and also the not-so-young: Alliance numériQc has found that 25% of adult Quebecers play video games on the computer or on a gaming device.
Multi-taskers will be well served by Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet, which can easily support several simultaneous activities, such as listening to music online and exchanging instant messages while performing online searches.
Finally, Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet will substantially enhance the Internet experience of families who share a single Internet connection through a router and use it for any of the above purposes.
Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet will be available starting at $79.95 per month.*
Videotron Ltd. (www.videotron.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services and residential telephone service. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television system and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of December 31, 2005, Videotron was serving 1,506,000 cable television customers in Québec; including 475,000 illico subscribers. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 656,000 subscribers to its cable modem and dial-up services. In addition, Videotron provides residential telephone service to more than 163,000 customers in Montréal, Montréal South Shore and North Shore, Laval and the Québec City area.
1 Équipement numérique des domiciles québécois, a survey conducted by Indicateurs numériQC and CEFRIO, 2005.
* This offer is available to new residential subscribers to Videotron's Extreme Plus High-Speed Internet service with a 12-month contract. Extra charges may apply for excess monthly bandwidth use.
