Time Warner Cable is reacting to ultra-fast Internet offerings from rivals AT&T and Frontier Communications as well as forthcoming service from Google Fiber by upgrading its entertainment network to all digital.

TWC is tripling Internet speeds, but those fall well short of gigabit service through fiber.

Thursday morning, TWC announced the network upgrades, saying they will be available “this year” under the name “TWC Maxx.”

Customers are being notified this week of forthcoming changes, TWC said. Those include transitioning analog signals to digital.

Internet speeds will be boosted to as high as 300 megabits per second.

TWC noted that customers now receiving standard Internet service (15 Mbps) will receive up to 50 Mbps.

“Extreme” service customers (30 Mbps) will receive up to 200 Mbps.

“Ultimate” customers (100 Mbps) will receive up to 300 Mbps.

There is no extra charge for the faster speed, TWC said.

Gigabit Internet services from AT&T and Frontier Communications offer up to 1,000 megabits per second. Both companies are rapidly expanding service areas, AT&T initially in Raleigh, Cary and other parts of Wake County while Frontier focuses on Durham and Durham County.

Google Fiber is in the process of building its own network.

TWC also plans to expand its wireless Wi-Fi offerings.

“With ‘TWC Maxx,’ we’re essentially reinventing the TWC experience,” said Darrel Hegar, regional vice president of operations, Time Warner Cable. “We will boost Internet speeds for customers up to six times faster, add to our robust TWC WiFi©, dramatically improve the TV product and set a high bar in our industry for differentiated, exceptional customer service.”

TWC plans to offer TWC Maxx initially in Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh.

Other areas will be added later, including:

Apex, Benson, Bunn, Cary, Chatham Co., Creedmoor, Dunn, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Goldsboro, Henderson, Hillsborough, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Leesville, Louisburg, Middlesex, Morrisville, Oxford, Pittsboro, Raeford, Selma, Smithfield, Wake Forest, Warrenton, Wendell, Wilson and Zebulon.

Digital equipment required

Some TWC customers will have to upgrade to digital equipment. The adapters will be available at no charge through June 30 of 2016. However, the adapters must be ordered by Oct. 29, TWC said.

Adapters can be ordered at: http://www.TWC.com/digital adapter or by telephone (1-844-233-9769) or at a Time Warner Cable store.

Customers who already have digital boxes will not have to upgrade.

TWC’s changing TV services

The company spelled out changes for its TV and DVR services as well:

“The advanced TV experience includes an all-digital lineup and an expanded On Demand library that has reached 19,000 titles, growing to more than 30,000 by the end of the year.

“Time Warner Cable also plans to introduce an Enhanced DVR, which lets customers simultaneously record up to six different programs, and the ability to save 150 hours of high-definition (HD) programming on its 1TB (terabyte) hard drive, which is twice the storage of the largest prior model.”