Comcast announced it has launched 1 Gbps (downstream) service for residential and business services via DOCSIS 3.1, a new data platform for widely deployed HFC networks, in Sacramento, Calif., and nine surrounding cities.
In addition to Sacramento, Comcast extended D3.1-powered services to homes and businesses in: Antelope; Carmichael; Citrus Heights; Elk Grove; Folsom; Galt; Rancho Cordova; Rio Linda; and Roseville. McClellan Air Force Base will also have access to the faster speeds enabled by D3.1, Comcast said.
In Sacramento, similar to other D3.1 Comcast markets, the MSO is selling residential 1 Gig for $159.99 per month without a contract and, for a limited time, is offering it to new high-speed internet subscribers for $89.99 per month, with a one-year agreement. Pricing for current customers with a contract will vary, Comcast noted.
Comcast’s latest D3.1 expansion comes on the heels of the national rollout of the xFi Advanced Gateway, which bakes in 8x8 802.11ac WiFi, a set of dedicated IoT radios, and support for xFi, a cloud-based home WiFi management platform that the cable operator rolled out in May.
Comcast is deploying that new gateway (previously called the XB6) to customers on the MSO’s fastest residential speed tiers, from 300 Mbps up to 1 Gbps, in markets where it has deployed DOCSIS 3.1. Comcast has deployed D3.1 to more than 75% of its footprint so far.
Comcast has also started to deploy and new supplemental xFi Pods (initially in Chicago and Boston) that work with primary gateways to extend the reach of WiFi signals in the home.
RELATED: Comcast Starts Rollout of ‘xFi Pods’ to Boost Whole-Home WiFi
“With this offering, Comcast will have the broadest deployment of Gigabit Internet speeds throughout Northern California,” John Gauder, regional vice president, Comcast California, said in a statement. . “This is yet another proof-point that our broadband and WiFi networks are powerful, flexible and built for speed. We’ve increased internet speeds 17 times in the past 16 years and we will continue to bring California customers the absolute fastest speeds possible by proactively investing in our advanced, high performance network.”
