Comcast promises to bring its multi-gigabit Internet service to almost 3 million residential homes in California beginning in June.
The Gigabit Pro service, a symmetrical 2 Gbps service that will be distributed using the fiber to the home solution, will be available in Marysville/Yuba City, Santa Barbara County, Chico, Stockton, Modesto, Salinas, Visalia, Monterey, the San Francisco Bay Area, Fresno, Merced and Sacramento metro areas. Comcast has been offering a 10 Gbps fiber-based Ethernet service to businesses in the state since 2011.
The new Internet speeds will not, however, launch in Williams, Coalinga, Cool, Gustine, Huron, Isleton, Le Grand, Santa Cruz, Maxwell, Scotts Valley, Rio Vista, Lodi, Santa Nella, Planada, and Arbuckle.
Gigabit Pro will be offered to residential communities adjacent to Comcast's fiber network. Professional-grade hardware installation will be required for this broadband service.
Fiber remains at the core of Comcast's network and, for the past 10 years, the company has made billion-dollar investments to expand its fiber network deeper into the region and closer to residents. Comcast has constructed more than 145,000 miles of fiber to strengthen its fiber to the home solution.
Gigabit Pro was first unveiled by Comcast in Atlanta and now in California. There are no details yet on pricing.
Rival Google's Fiber monthly rate is about $70 for 1 Gbps but is not yet offered in California. U-Verse from AT&T is priced at $110 a month for 1 Gbps.
Aside from Gigabit Pro, Comcast also introduced Extreme 250, a new 250 Mbps broadband speed tier for California consumers delivered via the HFC network. Starting in May, the Internet service provider will also enhance the downstream speeds of the Performance tier, from 50 Mbps to 75 Mbps, and Blast tier, from 105 Mbps up to 150 Mbps, at no additional cost for current subscribers.
"We will continue to look for opportunities to increase speeds to not only stay ahead of customer demands, but also to provide a wide range of options that meet customer needs," said Hank Fore, regional SVP of Comcast Cable for California.
Time Warner Cable, which Comcast is attempting to acquire with a $45 billion budget, is rolling out a similar upgrade called TWC Maxx, which aims to increase its broadband speed up to six times faster than their current service.
The proposed Comcast-Time Warner merger is, however, currently on hold as the Department of Justice recommended the deal be blocked.
Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr
