A new broadband and voice service bundle from Sonic.net aims to lower the bar – on price.
The Santa Rosa, Calif.-based competitive service provider announced last week that it plans to offer a 1 Gbps broadband and "unlimited" voice service bundle for $40 per month in the Bay Area city of Brentwood.
At that price, Sonic.net’s plan beats out the 1-Gig standalone broadband service Google Fiber is currently marketing in parts of Kansas City and in Provo, Utah. Vermont Telephone Company is selling a 1-Gig broadband service for $34.95 per month, but that price does not include voice.
Targeting new build areas of Brentwood, Sonic.net plans to bring its new fiber-fed bundle to about 8,000 homes, and to turn on service within the next 15 months, according to a Sonic.net spokeswoman. The company, she points out, currently provides gigabit fiber service to residents in Sebastopol in the North Bay, and to one business park in Santa Rosa, which is also located in the North Bay.
“Sonic.net will deliver the City of Brentwood the fastest, cheapest Internet and phone service in the United States,” said Sonic.net CEO and cofounder Dane Jasper, in a statement.
Brentwood, he added, will serve as a model for development in other cities. “ “Brentwood did a great job with infrastructure planning and access, which helped facilitate building out the Gigabit Internet.”
Jasper told DSL Reports that Sonic.net will conduct a survey to determine interest and demand for 1-Gig services before deciding to expand the buildout to other parts of Brentwood. Additionally, Japser also said that the company is committed to providing a 5 Mbps Internet service (without phone) for free for up to five years in exchange for an activation fee that’s expected to be in the range of $300 to $400.
