Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Tue, January 20, 2009
RCN?s Major Market Analog Crush(SM) to Be Completed January 31st
HERNDON, Va.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ RCN Corporation ] (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of all-digital television, high-capacity data, and voice services to residential, business customers and service providers, is nearing completion of its highly successful Analog Crush(SM) project in all major markets. By the end of this month, RCN expects to achieve 100% digital penetration in all metro consumer markets, including the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Chicago markets.
Going all-digital was a vision that RCN launched early in 2008. In completing this conversion in just one year, RCN is able to leapfrog cable competition and free up available spectrum that in turn permits the company to accelerate new standard digital, high definition (HD) and international programming rollouts and create significant operational, maintenance, and cost-efficiency benefits. Analog Crush(SM) offers tremendous advantages to RCN's customers by:
- Greatly improving video and sound quality
- More than doubling the number of video channels, increasing from 80 analog to nearly 200digital channels, on RCN's Signature® (expanded basic) tier
- Accelerating RCN's HD channel rollout, which is expected to surpass 100 channels in March
- Adding 150 international channels and Video ON DEMAND (VoD) offerings through RCN's Global Passport tier; RCN's multi-cultural metro market customer base is already responding strongly to this robust international rollout, which rivals the best offerings available, including satellite
"Completing our Analog Crush(SM) project is a major strategic move for RCN," commented RCN CEO and President Peter Aquino. "Thanks to the FCC's grant of our set-top box waiver, RCN was able to bring more choice, value and programming to our customers, leading the push to go all-digital, and accelerating our capital program in 2008 to accomplish this significant objective. By reclaiming bandwidth, RCN established the freedom to offer our customers an all-digital explosion of entertainment choices and more expanded basic digital TV channels than ever before. With the best programming and premium services available, RCN is in a very strong competitive position as a superior alternative to incumbent cable and phone products. I want to thank the entire RCN organization for its tremendous effort, teamwork, and focus in pulling off such very heavy lifting in a short space of time."
"Our strong liquidity position enabled us to fund the capital push associated with Analog Crush(SM), providing us with a superior digital product now in place," Mr. Aquino continued. "With this important initiative and major capex spend in metro markets behind us, we now have increased capital flexibility in 2009. We look forward to reporting our fourth quarter 2008 results on March 2nd."
RCN will provide details to its fourth quarter 2008 conference call and webcast separately.
About RCN Corporation
RCN Corporation, (NASDAQ: RCNI) [ http://www.rcn.com ], is a facilities-based, competitive broadband telecommunications services provider delivering all-digital video, high-capacity data and voice services to residential and small-medium business customers under the brand names of RCN and RCN Business Services, respectively. In addition, through the RCN Metro Optical Networks business unit, RCN delivers fiber-based high-capacity data transport services to large commercial customers, primarily large enterprises and carriers, targeting the metropolitan central business districts in the company's geographic markets. RCN's primary service areas include Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley (PA), New York City, Boston and Chicago. (RCNI-G)
RCN Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and future performance of RCN that involve risks and uncertainties that could materially affect actual results. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factors disclosure contained in certain of RCN's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. For a description of certain factors that could cause actual results to vary from current expectations and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, refer to documents that RCN files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
