Comcast Rolls Out DOCSIS 3.0 in California
Comcast Corp. is continuing its DOCSIS 3.0 push with rollouts Oct. 29 in several areas of California, thus doubling the Internet speeds for most of those consumers.
DOCSIS 3.0 essentially makes use of all-IP architecture and fiber optics to supercharge the network speeds of cable plants. The result is the ability to run bandwidth-intensive services concurrently, which gets the industry closer to the vision of a connected home to support things like smart appliances and streaming content to multiple video-enabled endpoints.
In this launch, a total of 83 cities and communities will get the ultra-broadband upgrade, including Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Stockton, Tracy, Tulare, Visalia, as well as Santa Barbara County.
Comcast has already deployed DOCSIS 3.0 in the San Francisco Bay and in the Monterey-Salinas areas.
“Wideband utilizes our existing fiber-optic network in neighborhoods across our footprint,” said Steve White, senior vice president of Comcast’s California Region, in a statement. “With this next generation of service, our customers’ online experience is dramatically enhanced.”
He added, “And this is just the beginning. Wideband, combined with our fiber-optic network, gives us the capability of meeting the needs of our customers for many years to come by offering even faster speeds in the future.”
As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast is launching two new premium speed tiers to its residential and business class customers.
For residential:
- Extreme 50, offering up to 50mbps of downstream speed and up to 10mbps of upstream speed for $99.95 per month.
- Ultra, offering up to 22mbps of downstream speed and up to 5mbps of upstream speed at $62.95 per month.
In addition to the new speed tiers, Comcast will also increase speeds for its existing performance tier customers, who will get doubled downstream and upstream speeds – offering up to 12mbps and 2mbps, respectively, the cableco said.
Business Class Tier:
- Deluxe 50mbps / 10mbps tier for $189.95 per month.
As part of their service, Comcast Business Class customers receive Microsoft Communication Services, providing e-mail, calendaring and document sharing, as well as firewall protection, static IP addresses, multiple e-mail addresses and business class 24/7 customer support.
Existing business class customers also will receive complimentary speed increases – speeds on the Starter tier will be doubled to up to 12mbps / 2mbps, and a new Premium Tier also will be introduced, offering speeds up to 22mbps / 5mbps for $99.95 per month.
