Comcast to Launch Gigabit Internet Service in Southwest Virginia

Residents and businesses in Abingdon, Galax, Glade Spring and

Marion will soon enjoy region’s fastest speeds

ABINGDON, VA. – July 11, 2019 – Comcast announced today it is launching an internet service that will deliver speeds of up to one gigabit-per-second to residential and business customers in its southwest Virginia markets. Beginning later this month, Comcast will offer the gigabit Internet service to customers in Galax, Glade Spring, Marion and Abingdon. Comcast will deliver these super-fast speeds using the existing wiring that most people already have in their homes and businesses.

The gigabit service will be among the fastest and most widely available in the area, and includes access on-the-go to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network of more than 19 million hotspots. To enjoy the service, all customers will need to do is install a new DOCSIS 3.1 compatible cable modem that is capable of delivering gigabit speeds.

“Consumers today require the fastest available speeds to support the growing number of devices at home and in the workplace,” said Doug Guthrie, Regional Senior Vice President at Comcast. “We’re excited to expand this offering to our southwest Virginia customers and continue our investments in this area.”

With a one gigabit connection, customers can:

• Download a 5 gigabyte HD movie in 40 seconds;
• Download a 600 megabyte TV episode in four seconds;
• Download a 150 megabyte music album in two seconds; and
• Download a 15 gigabyte video game in two minutes

The everyday price for residential one gigabit service is $110 a month without a term contract.

In addition to residential consumers, small business customers will also benefit from faster download speeds without costly and disruptive construction of new network facilities. “Business Internet 1 Gig” and “Business Internet 500” speed tiers will be available in Comcast’s southwest Virginia markets. The new service tiers complement other multi-gigabit options already available to Comcast Business customers, which the company launched and has been expanding nationally since 2011. Those services can support speeds of 100 gigabits per second over fiber.

Customers interested in this new service will need a gigabit-capable modem, such as the company’s newest xFi Advanced Gateway, to achieve the faster speeds. New and current customers can visit www.Xfinity.com/gig to learn about the new service and request additional information. Small and mid-sized businesses in buildings already served by Comcast can upgrade to Business Internet 1 Gig and Business Internet 500 by calling Comcast or visiting www.business.comcast.com/gig to change their service and order a new modem.

Today’s announcement follows a number of moves the company has made to enhance its high-speed internet service, including an expansion of its national Wi-Fi network, which now includes 19 million hotspots; doubling its network capacity every 18 to 24 months; introducing xFi, a free digital dashboard that enables customers to personalize, manage, and control their home Wi-Fi network, and launching two gigabit and one gigabit-per-second home internet services. Comcast has increased internet speeds 17 times in the past 18 years.