Internet access in Houston
Slowly, consumer Internet in the United States is getting faster.
While legacy cable and DSL-based Internet providers may argue otherwise, you can largely thank Google for its Fiber initiative. I suspect, had Google Fiber not launched several years ago, we’d still be waiting for gigabit speeds from the likes of AT&T and Comcast.
In Houston, AT&T is rolling out its Gigapower network. While not everyone can get it, it’s very real, and I’ve seen speed tests posted to Facebook and Twitter showing some interesting results.
In May, Comcast said it would launch its Gigabit Pro network in Houston. The cable company never formally said when this 2-gigabit-per-second service would be lit up here. But Comcast spokesman Michael Bybee told me today it has been available in Houston for the past month. The company has not promoted it, but yes, it’s here.
In other markets where Gigabit Pro launched, Comcast increased speeds yet again for its existing customers. That has yet to occur in the Houston market, and Bybee could not yet provide a firm date when it would. But he was able to offer details on how speeds for existing customers will be boosted:
In the coming months, Comcast will again increase internet speeds. The Performance tier will increase from 50 Mbps to 75 Mbps and the Blast tier will increase from 105 Mbps to 150 Mbps.
Although you can now get Gigabit Pro if you’re within a third of a mile of Comcast’s fiber network, it isn’t cheap. Gigabit Pro costs $300 a month, with installation costs of up to $500, and as much as $500 in activation fees.
Comcast is taking a two-pronged approach to its data offerings. FierceCable reported last week that Comcast will begin rolling out the next-generation of cable modem technology, and by 2018 it will be available to its entire service area.
It’s DOCSIS 3.1, an upgrade to the current DOCSIS 3.0, which has the capability of providing speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Comcast’s vice president of network infrastructure, Robert Howald, told FierceCable that DOCSIS 3.1 will initially be used to provide 1-Gbps service, half of what the Ethernet-based Gigabit Pro can do.
Howald explained that the move from DOCSIS 3 to 3.1 will initially allow Comcast to offer its customers speeds of 1 Gbps. “DOCSIS 3.1 allows us to do that and higher,” he said.
Executives from CableLabs, the company that designed the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, said that the 3.1 standard can transmit data up to 10 Gbps — however, those speeds are only possible with ideal network configurations and equipment. Comcast’s Howald said that after the company’s initial DOCSIS 3.1 deployment, the company will work to tweak and enhance the technology. “Then we’ll start to see more advanced features come into play,” he said.
Houston is one of Comcast’s markets where both technologies will be available. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.
Oh, and still no sign of Google Fiber coming to Houston.
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