A week after announcing their entry into Huntsville, Alabama, Comcast announced the deployment of 1 Gbps DOCSIS 3.1 services into another city on its published list of civic targets: Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The cable operator last year rolled out DOCSIS 3.1 in Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville and Miami. Late in the year, Comcast said it would have CableLabs’ next-generation network standard in 15 cities overall by early 2017, with deployments scheduled for Kansas City, Kansas, Portland, Oregon, and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as Denver, Indianapolis, Knoxville, San Francisco, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
RELATED: Comcast to launch DOCSIS 3.1 services in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville and Chattanooga weren’t on that list. But they are municipalities that have ample access to gigabit services. Huntsville, for example, also has AT&T and Google Fiber offering gigabit options. Meanwhile, the Chattanooga Electric Power Board (EPB), the city-owned power utility, is offering 10 Gbps fiber connections.
For its part, Comcast had been delivering its pricey 10-gig fiber service to local Chattanooga businesses, and 2-gig fiber service to local residences. The DOCSIS 3.1 products are much cheaper, starting out at around $140 a month without contract.
Comcast has been the most aggressive U.S. cable company in terms of deploying the new Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) version. The upgrade requires new modems and gateways in customer homes, as well as within the Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) located at Comcast facilities. Of course, it doesn’t require Comcast to deploy new wiring.
Comcast said it plans to have DOCSIS 3.1 deployed across its entire 39-state footprint by 2018.
“We appreciate Comcast choosing our city as an early-adopter for DOCSIS technology that will serve our residents and businesses," said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, in a statement. "Their decision to invest in Chattanooga is a testament to our reputation as leaders in the next-generation economy.”
“Over the last two years in Chattanooga, Comcast has deployed an advanced 10-gigabit network to businesses, launched a 2-gigabit residential internet service, and added to our over 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the marketplace,” said Doug Guthrie, regional senior VP at Comcast. “Today’s announcement delivers a 1-gigabit Internet service to Chattanooga’s residential and business community using some of the latest, most advanced technology available.”