Gigabit Pro Available Next Month to 190,000 Customers;Multi-Gigabit Service Will Bring the Fastest Speeds to the Most People in the Country
KNOXVILLE, TN – May 21, 2015 – Comcast today announced it will offer residential multi-gigabit broadband service to 190,000 customers in Knoxville and surrounding communities starting in June 2015. Gigabit Pro is a symmetrical, 2 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) service that will be delivered via a fiber-to-the-home solution. Service will be offered broadly across greater Knoxville, and will be the fastest residential Internet speed in the country. Comcast recently launched Gigabit Pro in Colorado, Utah, Washington State, Portland, Ore., Houston, Chattanooga, Tenn., Nashville, Atlanta, Twin Cities, Florida and California. Comcast plans to roll out the service nationwide by the end of the year.
“Comcast’s commitment to ensuring Tennessee residents have access to the nation’s fastest Internet speeds continues with today’s announcement,” said Doug Guthrie, SVP of Comcast Cable’s South Region. “With Gigabit Pro launches recently announced in Nashville and Chattanooga, this is just the latest investment we’ve made to bring the most advanced technology to the most homes in the state.”
Gigabit Pro will be available to any home within close proximity of Comcast’s fiber network and will require an installation of professional-grade equipment. The company has fiber at the core of its network and, for the past decade, it has been extending it deeper into neighborhoods and closer to homes. To date, Comcast has built out more than 145,000 route miles of fiber across its service area.
“We are thrilled that Comcast has named Knoxville home to the nation’s fastest Internet speeds,” said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. “Comcast has been a great partner to our county, and we appreciate its investment to make Knoxville a destination of choice for consumers seeking reliable high-speed internet access.”
In September 2014, Comcast Business announced it would expand its 10 gigabit fiber-based Ethernet network throughout Knoxville, giving thousands of local businesses the benefit of highly scalable and fast Internet connectivity and cloud-based voice solutions. The enhanced network is designed to support the Knoxville business community, and attract new organizations looking for the most advanced technology platform to receive ultra-fast speeds.
“Knoxville’s economic development continues to flourish thanks to great partners like Comcast,” said Mike Edwards, president and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. “With today’s announcement, we are equipping ourselves for future growth, ensuring we have the technology necessary to handle current and future needs.”
As one of the 10 fastest growing cities in the U.S. according to CNNMoney, Knoxville is poised for continued growth as the state sees an uptick in job growth and business climate, according to the Center for Business and Economic Research.
Comcast has been doubling the capacity of its network at least every 18 months, and the company has increased speeds for its subscribers 15 times in the past 13 years. In addition to fast, wired broadband tiers, Xfinity Internet customers have access to the industry’s fastest in-home wireless gateway capable of offering up to 700 Mbps Wi-Fi connections.
