When it launched its 1-gigabit-a-second Internet service last month, ATT finally could claim that it...

1. Comcast announces 2-Gbps Gigabit Pro Internet in Houston
[Updated]
When it launched its 1-gigabit-a-second Internet service last month, ATT finally could claim that it
offered the fastest consumer broadband in Houston.
But those bragging rights are short-lived.
Comcast announced today that it will offer some time this summer a 2-Gbps service, retaking the
speed crown from its rival.
And that's 2-Gbps for both uploads and downloads.
Comcast isn't saying exactly when its new Gigabit Pro service will be available, nor how much it will
cost. The company previously announced the service in Atlanta, California, Chattanooga, Chicago,
Florida and Nashville, but hasn't revealed pricing in those markets yet, either. Comcast has said 18
markets will get Gigabit Pro this year.
Comcast spokesman Michael Bybee said "pricing, including introductory and promotional rates, is
still being considered."
However, the broadband news site DSL Reports spotted earlier this month Comcast Web pages
saying the service would cost $300 a month. When author Karl Bode asked Comcast about them, the

2. pages were yanked.
Gigabit Pro requires that customers live within a third of a mile of the company's fiber network.
Bybee said 1.5 million Houston-area homes will be able to access the service.
But for those who may be disappointed, Comcast also announced immediate availability of a faster
tier that works via its current equipment that uses the DOCSIS 3.0 standard. Extreme 250 boasts
maximum download speeds of 250 megabits a second and costs $149.99 a month. Upload speeds are
25 Mbps.
And the company is currently testing modems that use the updated DOCSIS 3.1 standard that will,
starting next year, make it possible for all Comcast customers to get 1-Gbps service.
As with Comcast's existing Internet offerings, there's no data cap on Gigabit Pro, Bybee said. ATT's
Gigapower has a 1-terabyte data cap, and its standard U-verse DSL service has a 250-gigabyte cap.
In other markets where Comcast has announced the Gigabit Pro service, the company launched yet
another speed bump for existing customers. In Atlanta and California, Comcast increased 50-Mbps
customers to 75 Mbps and 100-Mbps customers to 150 Mbps. Comcast has periodically doubled
speeds for existing customers over the past few years in Houston, but there's no word yet when the
new speed hikes will debut here.
Those who sign up for Gigabit Pro will not be able to use their own cable modems, Bybee said. The
service uses a form of Ethernet to provide the synchronous 2-Gbps service, via a Ciena switch
provided by Comcast and a Netgear R8000 802.11ac router.
Comcast's current service allows customers to bring their own modem and router to the party.
Although this is Comcast's first gigabit-speed residential offering, the company has offered business
customers speeds up to 10 Gbps for some time. Prior to the launch of Extreme 250, the fastest
residential speeds Comcast offered in Houston was 150 Mbps.
In some markets, Comcast has a 505-Mbps service, but it is not available in Houston, Bybee said.
The rise of gigabit consumer Internet speeds kicked off when Google announced it would launch a
gigabit service, starting with Kansas City. The search giant's executives said their ultimate goal was
to goose existing Internet providers to increase their speeds. Google Fiber has since come to other
cities, including Austin, and it typically spurs competitor to boost speeds. For example, Comcast
announced Gigabit Pro in Atlanta shortly after Google said it would offer Google Fiber there.
However, there's no indication that Google Fiber will come to Houston any time soon.

3. Update: I talked about broadband access in Houston on today's episode of Houston Matters on
KUHF FM. You can listen to the segment below.
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http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2015/05/comcast-launches-2-gbps-gigabit-pro-internet-in-houston/