Comcast Says Wideband Available to 30 Pct

Comcast says its DOCSIS 3.0-based wideband capacity is now available across 30 percent of its network, and thinks it'll make it to 65 percent by the end of 2009.

Cable operator Comcast has announced that its rollout of DOCSIS 3.0-based wideband services that offers Internet connectivity at up to 12 Mbps—and a whopping 50 Mbps downstream in some places—is now complete across 30 percent of its network footprint, and the company anticipates the rollout will be available across 65 percent of its network by the end of 2009. The company says the wideband capability is now available to more than 15 million home and businesses, including ten major markets like Chicgao, Portland, Seattle, Baltimore, Boston, Atlanta, the Twin Cities, and Philadelphia, among others.

“What we’re finding is that speed really matters to consumers, particularly as they watch more video on the Internet on sites like YouTube and Fancast.com,” said Comcast Cable COO Steve Berke, in a statement. “In addition, gaming, downloading, and other applications get even better with more speed. Looking ahead, our goal is to get our entire footprint up to 12 Mbps and to offer 50 to 100 Mbps in as many places as possible.”

As part of the wideband rollout, Comcast is setting up two new premium bandwidth tiers for residential and business customers: Extreme 50 offers up to 50 Mbps of downstream bandwidth and 10 Mbps of upstream bandwidth for $139.95 per month, while the “Ultra” offering offers 22 Mpbs downstream and 5 Mbps of upstream bandwidth for $62.95 per month. (Pricing requires a cable subscription, as well.) Comcast is also increasing the bandwidth available to existing customers in upgrades areas, roughly doubling the amount of bandwidth available in their packages.