Since it was launched one month ago, more than 500 people at Yokota Air Base have signed up for AmeriCable’s new high-speed broadband cable Internet service.
The cable company recently has been installing about 50 new lines a day, said Yokota’s general manager Tony Simon.
“We did this without any advertising,” Simon said. “All this was done word of mouth.”
The company successfully tested its broadband system in the past and fully launched the service March 1.
Yokota customers also can get high-speed Internet access through the telephone company JENS on base.
The new cable broadband service is offered at two levels, Simon said.
Customers can get 128 kilobits per second for $34.95 a month and 1.5 megabits for $55.75.
“We’ve tried to keep the price as close to that in the States as possible,” Simon said. Cable customers also receive discounts for bundled service.
Most of the customers so far have purchased the higher-level service. “You’ve got a lot of guys in dorms out there and a lot of them are gamers” who prefer faster connections, Simon said.
AmeriCable has offered broadband at Navy bases in mainland Japan for some time.
The company also plans to launch two new television cable channels May 1 for all customers — all Navy bases in mainland Japan and Yokota Air Base.
Turner Classic Movies will be added on channel 47 to all tier 2 category customers.
The second is GMA, one of the main network channels in the Philippines. That channel will be available for $11.95 for tier 1 or 2 customers or bundled with TFC (The Filipino Channel) for $19.95.
