Comcast To Offer 1Gbps Without Needing A Fiber Connection

Just three years ago, Google Fiber debuted in Kansas City, and it’s been the envy of anyone that covets serious bandwidth ever since.  Not to be left behind, Comcast has decided to offer 1Gbps speed as well, but it is doing things a little differently.  Comcast already offers an insane 2Gbps tier, but its availability is very limited, and you must be close to its core network in the area, Plus, it costs $300 a month.

What will be different about Comcast’s 1Gbps tier is that you can take advantage of this speed without a fiber connection.  Using the new DOCSIS 3.1 standard, you can have these kinds of speeds over its current “hybrid fiber coaxial” networks, making this a much more economical deployment, which also means the company should be able to offer this to just about all of its customers.  The company hopes to have this offering available to “several parts of the country” before the end of next year.

This news would seem to be a response to an increase in Internet provider competition.  I know that in my area, central Indiana, there are fiber companies springing up, looking to take a chunk of Comcast’s user base.  With the way Comcast treats its customers, these new competitors shouldn’t have too hard of a time getting it!