Mediacom Communications, the nation's ninth largest MVPD provider, announced it will launch 1 Gbps speeds to residential users in a handful of its markets in Missouri starting at $149.99 per month. The company is using a combination of fiber and DOCSIS 3.0 to offer the services.
"Our robust fiber network was designed with flexibility and scalability in mind, allowing us to cost-effectively turn Columbia, Jefferson City and Holts Summit into true gigabit communities," said Ed Pardini, Mediacom's SVP of field operations. "Unlike some other 1-Gig providers whose services are limited to selected neighborhoods, our gigabit speeds are available throughout the community to 100% of the homes and residences along our network."
Mediacom said the deployment represents the first stage of its "Gigasphere" effort, which the company said will deliver 1-Gig residential services to additional communities across its 22 state territory. Release
Multichannel News noted that Mediacom's 1 Gbps plans include 6 terabytes of data per month. The company will sell 50 GB of additional data for $10.
The cable industry's move to 1 Gbps Internet services is noteworthy considering Americans continue to disconnect cable TV services in favor of faster Internet connections.
Interestingly, Multichannel News also reported that Mediacom will be using DOCSIS 3.0 network technology to offer its 1 Gbps services, thanks to top-end DOCSIS 3.0 modem chips from suppliers such as Intel and Broadcom that can bond up to 32 downstream channels.
Mediacom said it plans to upgrade its network to the DOCSIS 3.1 standard when it becomes available, which many expect to happen next year. Article