Comcast launches symmetrical 10-Gigabit speeds over Ethernet FTTP

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Comcast has announced a new symmetrical 10-Gigabit service tier for its Gigabit Pro fiber customers and reiterated a plan to bring multi-gigabit options to millions of cable internet customers. The move comes as Comcast prepares to launch DOCSIS 4.0 capabilities for cable customers by the end of the year.

Launched as a 2-Gig residential broadband service back in 2015, Gigabit Pro has been upgraded in recent years. Before heading to 10-Gig, the service delivered symmetrical speeds of 6 Gbit/s. Billed as a premium offering, Gigabit Pro runs $299 per month, plus installation costs.  Comcast has not announced how many of its 32.32 million broadband subscribers have opted for Gigabit Pro.

Comcast began field testing 10-Gig capabilities for customers shortly thereafter, with some users stating on Reddit in October 2022 that they were starting to see these speeds.

According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Comcast today primarily offers fiber to the premises in the areas around Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami and West Palm Beach.

Comcast Cable EVP and Chief Network Officer Elad Nafshi told Fierce that the product is technically available nationwide, not just in areas where it has fiber. If a cable customer decides they want 10G, Comcast will come in and upgrade their drop from coaxial cable to fiber, he said.  The “highly-targeted” Gigabit Pro service continues to be delivered on an Ethernet-based FTTP platform.

In order to fully take advantage of the speeds now available on the fiber network, Comcast said users will need a 10G router or firewall, a desktop computer with a PCIe expansion slot, a 10G 850 nm multimode fiber (MMF), small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver, a 10G PCIe network interface controller (NIC) adapter with small form-factor pluggable (SFP) cage and a multimode fiber LC cable patch.  Here are all the requirements for 10 Gig service:

For maximum speeds of 10 Gbps on a single computer, you’ll need the following:

  • A desktop computer with available PCIe expansion slot.
  • A 10G PCIe network interface controller (NIC) adapter with small form-factor pluggable (SFP) cage.
  • A 10G enhanced, 850 nm multimode fiber (MMF), small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.
  • A multimode fiber (MMF) LC patch cable.

To achieve maximum speeds of 10 Gbps on more than one of your devices connected to the fiber handoff, you will need a compatible router or firewall with throughput of 10 Gbps (or greater) along with the following:

  • A 10G WiFi router or firewall.
  • A 10G 850 nm multimode fiber (MMF), small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.
  • All additional equipment from the single computer requirements for each connected computer to reach 10 Gbps from the router or firewall. The actual number of devices and configurations supported varies by the brand and model of the router or firewall.

Nafshi told Fierce in February that the operator isn’t planning to overlay its cable network with fiber anytime soon. However, he noted the distributed access architecture it is adopting ahead of its DOCSIS 4.0 rollout is opening the door for more fiber deployments.

Though fiber advances may be moving faster, Comcast is also investing in upgrades to its cable system. It launched a new cable broadband tier offering 2 Gbps downstream and 200 Mbps upstream in September 2022. In October, it made a 2 Gbps/100 Mbps tier available to cable customers across 14 states in the Northeastern U.S.

Comcast said it is still planning to make multi-gig speeds available to more than 50 million locations by the end of 2025 and expects to begin rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 before the end of this year.

Nafshi told Fierce it is “heads down hardening and operationalizing products to meet the target deadline” for DOCSIS 4.0 and said the launch will by its nature include the introduction of a new speed tier.

“DOCSIS 4.0 will enable us to launch greater speeds and more speed symmetry when we launch, which by definition means it’s going to be a new tier service because we don’t currently offer those symmetrical tiers,” he concluded. “A lot more to come.”

References:

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/broadband/comcast-debuts-symmetrical-10-gig-fiber-broadband-tier

https://www.lightreading.com/cable-tech/comcast-launches-symmetrical-10-gigabit-speeds-on-fiber/d/d-id/785290

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/requirements-to-run-xfinity-internet-speeds-over-1-gbps

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