So what Comcast is doing in the northeast – and will eventually offer in Houston – can be considered a stopgap measure until the new standard rolls out. Now they’re talking about beginning later in 2023. When I first wrote about 10G at the start of 2022, Comcast executives said they were hoping to offer DOCSIS 4.0 service by the end of this year or early next. The next version of the cable standard, DOCSIS 4.0, allows symmetrical speeds up to a theoretical maximum of 10 gigabits per second, although the earliest implementations will be nowhere near that fast. Meanwhile, fiber internet service typically is available with symmetrical speeds, giving them a competitive advantage. Technical issues prevent cable providers from selling symmetrical download and upload speeds. Upload speeds, however, remained the same, even though that half of an internet connection is even more important in the work-from-home and internet-gaming era.Ī lot of that has to do with the limitations of the current cable-modem standard, DOCSIS 3.1. All of its tiers got a speed bumps with the exception of the 1.2-Gbps one. The company periodically increases download speeds, and it recently did so in the Houston area. The 1.2-Gbps download tier gets you 35 Mbps uploads. That jumps to 20 Mbps uploads for the 800- to 1-Gbps download tiers. Upload speeds are limited to 10 Mbps for the 75- through 400-Mbps plans. In the Houston, Comcast’s Xfinity service currently has download speeds ranging from 75 Mbps to 1.2 Gbps. The news was first reported by Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica. The company is also introducing a new, 2-gigabit-per-second download speed tier. And in the suburbs, smaller internet providers are making inroads by installing fiber and going head-to-head with incumbents there.Ĭomcast announced the new service with faster uploads earlier this month, saying it initially is limited to 14 northeastern states, from Maine to Virginia. While AT&T continues to build out its fiber-optic-based service in Houston and nationally, both T-Mobile and Verizon are aggressively marketing wireless home internet service based on their 5G mobile networks. The moves come as Comcast and other cable internet providers face challenges from traditional competitors, such as AT&T, and newcomers alike. And a requirement that you use Comcast’s modem/router gateway rather than your own equipment.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |