PRESS ROOM: Comcast Becomes Nation’s Largest Provider of Gigabit Internet

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Nearly 58 million homes and businesses now have access to gigabit internet service, and it represents the fastest deployment to the most locations in the country, with Comcast increasing speeds 17 times in 17 years and the company has doubled the capacity of its broadband network every 18 to 24 months, company officials said.

The company has announced that it’s now the nation’s largest provider of gigabit broadband, with the ultra-fast Xfinity Gigabit Internet and Comcast Business Gigabit services now available to nearly all of the 58 million homes and businesses it serves.

“As connectivity becomes the center of the digital home, we are redefining what people should expect from broadband and have built an Internet experience that combines gigabit speeds with the best WiFi coverage, a digital dashboard to manage IoT devices, and enough capacity to stay ahead of the next generation of technology and innovation,” Steven V. Restivo, Comcast Corporation’s vice president of corporate communications, told NNPA Newswire on Wednesday.

“We’re now the nation’s largest gigabit Internet provider and we’ll continue to be a leader when it comes to providing the fastest speeds to the most people.  Nearly all of our 58 million homes and businesses passed in 39 states and the District of Columbia can access our ultra-fast Xfinity Gigabit Internet and Comcast Business Gigabit services,” Restivo said.

Further, Comcast continues to offer “an unmatched internet experience that combines gigabit speeds with wall-to-wall WiFi, personalized tools and controls, and enough capacity to stay ahead of tomorrow’s innovations,” said Dana Strong, Comcast’s president of Consumer Services.

“We’ve built an innovative high-speed data platform that combines speed, coverage and control features and really sets our broadband experience apart from the competition,” Strong said.

Comcast’s residential broadband service is powered and controlled by Xfinity xFi, a digital dashboard that personalizes, monitors and manages WiFi connected devices in the home.

Consumers now can add xFi Pods, small, easy to install extenders that plug into any electrical outlet, pairs with xFi Wireless Gateways, and help customers create a mesh network that extends coverage to hard-to-reach areas of their home.

Additionally, Comcast Business provides multi-gig speeds to business customers in Comcast’s footprint – whether an enterprise with locations across the country that needs multi-gigabit speed or a small business with only a handful of locations, Strong said.

Outside the home, Xfinity Internet customers also have access to more than 19 million WiFi hotspots, so they can stay connected on the go at no additional cost.

Comcast’s residential Xfinity Gigabit Internet service uses the existing network connections that are already in most customers’ homes. Installation is easy and requires no special construction or digging up lawns, officials said.

In many cases, customers don’t need a service visit, as the broadband equipment comes with a simple self-installation kit.

Gigabit service is among a wide range of speed offerings designed to support the personal needs of customers. Today, 75 percent of Xfinity Internet customers choose plans with speeds of 100 Mbps or more, double the speed those customers took just three years ago, Comcast officials said.