Shaw Doubles Internet Speeds for Free with New 300-600 Mbps Plans

Shaw announced this morning it is “giving the gift of speed this holiday season,” as its top Internet plans will now see double the speeds—at no extra costs—for new and existing residential customers.

Here’s what’s changing automatically in the “coming weeks” to its fibre network:

• Internet 150: new speeds up to 300 Mbps download
• Internet 300: new speeds up to 600 Mbps download

“This isn’t a promotion or a one-time offer. This is an unprecedented upgrade to our best internet plans, giving customers even faster speeds to help them use more powerful in-home technology and lead a more connected life,” said Brad Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, Shaw Communications, in an issued statement to iPhone in Canada.

Shaw says these enhanced download speeds are up to “4x faster than other broadly available competitor plans in Western Canada.”

“We strive to give our customers more value and we know that having faster download speeds is vital. We’re doubling the speeds of our fastest offerings. No tricks, no gimmicks, just more speed. It’s that simple,” added Shaw.

The company says 1.4 million kilometres of fibre have been laid down so far for its network in Western Canada.



“The strength of our extensive network paired with industry-leading DOCSIS 3.1 technology means that we can offer our fastest speeds to almost all of our customers today without needing to dig holes in their street, break apart their sidewalk or rip up their lawn. And because we don’t charge for data overages, our customers also have the peace of mind in knowing they can use our network as much as they want without penalty,” explained Shaw.

The last comment looks to be a dig at rival Telus which is expanding its PureFibre network and also charges for data overages.

As for why upload speeds are staying the same, Shaw’s FAQ responds to say “Our upload speeds are designed to meet the needs of the vast majority of our customers. The current upload speeds for these tiers are more than sufficient for the average user.”

When will these new speeds kick into effect? Shaw says it’ll happen in the coming weeks, but existing customers can also get their upgrades faster by “power-cycling their modem beginning Monday, December 3.”

Update: Follow these steps to reboot a Shaw modem or router, according to the company:

1. Unplug the power from your Shaw Modem, leaving all other connections secure
2. Unplug the power from your router and wait at least 30 seconds
3. Plug the power back into your Shaw Modem only
4. Wait until the Shaw Modem comes back online, as indicated by a steady Online light (this may take a few minutes depending on the model of Shaw Modem that you have)
5. Plug the power back into your router
6. Restart your computer and test your Internet connection