PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—As the broadband wars between cable and wireless 5G providers heat up, Comcast has announced that it is speeding up deployments of its Xfinity 10G network that is capable of offering consumers multi-gig speeds. Under the new time-table, Comcast said that the upgrades will be completed in 10 million homes and businesses in 40 markets by the end of this month.
The investment in upgrading broadband networks to provide multi-gig speeds comes at a time when Comcast and other cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless broadband services. In recent quarters, growth in broadband subs by the cable industry has stalled.
With the upgrades, Comcast noted that these locations will have the foundational network enhancements in place to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0, which is capable of offering much faster broadband speeds. This will set the stage for the introduction of new symmetrical multi-gigabit Internet options before the end of 2023 that can be delivered across existing networks with less cost, Comcast reported.
More than 40 markets across Comcast service areas have implemented network improvements including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and others, Comcast reported.
Comcast expects that the full deployment of the DOCSIS 4.0 technical capabilities will reach more than 50 million homes and businesses by 2025.
In addition to fast speeds, DOCSIS 4.0 technologies will deliver even greater reliability and capacity to power multiple data-intensive applications.
“Streaming live sports, 4K gaming, hybrid work, and virtual reality have gone mainstream in just a few years, and gig speeds, capacity, reliability, and low latency are key factors making our connectivity experience superior to the competition,” said Dave Watson, CEO, Comcast Cable. “Our definition of reliability has to shift from merely being always-on, to powering multiple data-intensive applications across dozens of devices, and the investments we are making in our network are creating immediate benefits for our customers.”
The company also unveiled plans to roll out new WiFi features in the coming months that improve reliability and a new device with cellular and battery backup to help keep customers connected even when the power goes out.
Looking forward, Comcast also announced that later this year it will unveil new low latency features that will enable an even better experiences for applications like gaming, virtual reality, and videoconferencing.
