Comcast rolls out faster internet service

Comcast is now offering 1-gigabit-per-second internet speeds across the Houston region, expanding a product first announced last year for a limited area.

The faster service requires a newer cable modem that uses the DOCSIS 3.1 standard. Most Comcast cable modems in the Houston area use the older DOCSIS 3.0 and max out at speeds of 300 megabits per second.

The 1-Gbps service has an upload speed of 35 Mbps. Comcast's residential internet services typically have upload speeds of 5 and 10 Mbps.

The DOCSIS 3.1 modems — which can be rented from Comcast for $10 a month or purchased by those who prefer to own their own modems — will also enable tiers of 250 Mbps and 400 Mbps. Comcast already offers a 250-Mbps service with

its DOCSIS 3.0 modems.

The 1-Gbps tier allows users to download a 5-gigabyte HD movie file in 40 seconds, or a 15-GB video game in two minutes. The faster service has the same 1-terabyte data cap as Comcast's other internet tiers.

Comcast introduced the 1-Gbps service in May 2017, priced at $159.95 monthly without a contract and limited to parts of northwest Houston including Spring, Katy, Rosenberg and Cypress. That pricing remains, but the company is now offering a promotional offer of $89.95 a month for new internet customers with a one-year contract, according to a news release.

Pricing for existing Comcast customers who already have contracts will vary, the company says. In the May announcement, Comcast said that upgrading would cost customers $50 to $70 a month.

The service competes with AT&T Internet 1000, which has promotional pricing of $80 a month, and is available to “600,000 homes, apartments and small businesses” in the Houston area, according to a company statement. The service is synchronous, which means it has the same upload and download speeds. It is not clear from AT&T's website what the pricing is once the promotion expires.

Comcast is also offering a business-class version of its 1-Gbps service. Pricing varies based on location, the number of locations that will have the service and what other Comcast services the business already has.

Pricing for existing Comcast customers who already have contracts will vary, the company says.