As the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Comcast, however, is aiming to do both in the competitive gigabit broadband market of Atlanta. Comcast said it is making Atlanta the first city to receive its gigabit broadband service, or broadband at 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps).
That’s the good news for Comcast; the bad news is that it has no shortage of competition, with Google Fiber and AT&T already providing similar services in that market. But Comcast, the largest cable provider in the United States, appears to be coming into the city with fists raised, distributing flyers asking customers not to “fall for the hype” of Google Fiber, in particular.
Comcast said this week that it would test its new broadband service in a limited number of Atlanta neighborhoods, promising speeds that are 50 to 100 times faster than standard broadband service. Comcast customers in Atlanta can check Xfinity.com/gig to see if they qualify for the trial
As is often the case with high-speed Internet service, there are disparities between download and upload speeds with the Comcast product. Comcast is using DOCSIS 3.1 technology to deliver gigabit download speeds over cable. It installed its first DOCSIS 3.1 modem in Philadelphia last year. But the service’s upload speed is only 35 Mbps (megabits per second), Comcast confirmed. Comcast’s far more expensive — $ 300 a month with $ 1,000 startup fees — fiber-to-the-home service offers 2 Gbps in both directions.
Cost Varies
What will the 1 Gbps broadband service cost? Well, that depends. Atlantans in the pilot areas will be able to get the service without any data caps for $ 70 a month if they sign a three-year contract with an early termination penalty of $ 350. The termination penalty would go down the longer the customer honored the contract. Without a contract, the cost of the service is $ 139.95 a month with a 300 GB-per-month data cap. Customers using the no-contract option can upgrade to unlimited data for an extra $ 35 per month.
Comcast said it will offer more pricing options as its gigabit service comes to more cities, and as it tries to keep ahead of Google in the markets the two share by offering more flexible terms.
More Cities To Come
In February, Comcast said that it would begin delivering the 1 Gbps broadband over its existing cable infrastructure to five cities by the end of the year. It will go next to Nashville, where gigabit networks from AT&T and Google are also in the works. Comcast will then bring the high-speed service to Chicago, Detroit and Miami.
Comcast will continue bringing the service to cities throughout its 40-state territory, a launch that brings with it the potential to reach 55 million customers within the next two years.
One advantage Comcast has over Google and AT&T is that it’s able to make use of its existing cable infrastructure instead of having to lay down new fiber-optic lines.
