Comcast Completes Launch of Extreme 50 MBPS High-Speed Internet Service in City of Philadelphia and Region
Philadelphia, PA - July 22, 2009
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced it is making the leap from broadband to wideband with the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 in the City of Philadelphia. The launch in the city completes the company’s roll-out of faster Internet speeds to all areas of the Philadelphia market including the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. The speed upgrades began in December 2008.
The Company also announced it has reached nearly 50% of all homes passed by its High-Speed Internet service with its superfast wideband speeds, which means today nearly 25 million homes and businesses can now enjoy one of the fastest Internet services in the country.
With wideband, Comcast introduces a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which redefines the customer experience online and creates a platform for Internet innovation in the years ahead. Wideband allows Comcast to offer among the fastest speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. It also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers at no additional cost.
“I applaud Comcast and their efforts to be the first to bring the benefits of advanced wideband Internet to all areas of our city,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “We are proud of hometown companies like Comcast that enrich our lives through their innovation and investment.”
“Wideband utilizes our existing advanced fiber-optic network in neighborhoods across our footprint. With this next generation service, our customers’ online experience is dramatically enhanced,” said Amy Smith, senior vice president of Comcast’s Freedom Region. “This new service will enable us to continue to offer our customers even faster speeds and an entirely new realm of Internet innovation.”
As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast will launch two new premium speed tiers to its residential and business class customers. Both new services are ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several computers or Internet-connected devices. They also will appeal to those who simply want some of the fastest speeds available today:
New Residential Tiers
- Extreme 50, offering up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed.
- Ultra, offering up to 22 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 5 Mbps of upstream speed.
With Extreme 50, Comcast customers will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster than ever.
In addition to the new speed tiers, Comcast also is increasing speeds for most of its existing customers.
- Performance tier customers will benefit from doubled downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.
- Performance Plus customers will be upgraded to Comcast’s Blast! tier, which will double their download speeds to up to 16 Mbps and provide up to 2 Mbps of upload speed.
Plus, with PowerBoost® technology, customers are able to enjoy even faster speeds to download and upload files such as videos, games, music and photos.
New Business Class Tiers
Business customers will benefit from wideband with increased efficiency and productivity. Customers can sign up for the Deluxe 50 Mbps / 10 Mbps tier, which includes a full suite of features and support. As part of their service, Comcast Business Class customers receive Microsoft Communication Services, providing corporate-class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing, as well as additional benefits such 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 12 Mbps / 2 Mbps and a new Premium Tier will also be introduced, offering speeds up to 22 Mbps / 5 Mbps.
For more information on wideband in their neighborhood, customers can visit www.comcast.com/fastestfast or call 1-800-COMCAST.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
Comcast’s Eastern Division serves six million residential and business customers across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. The Eastern Division is based in Oaks, Pennsylvania and employs more than 20,000 people.
Media Contacts:
Philadelphia Market
Jeff Alexander
(610) 650-3065
jeff_alexander@cable.comcast.com
Corporate/National
Charlie Douglas
(215) 286-3353
charlie_douglas@comcast.com