Comcast DOCSIS 3.0 broadband may reach 80 percent this year

August 6, 2009

Comcast, the largest broadband internet service provider in the U.S., said Thursday that it expects to upgrade broadband service to DOCSIS 3.0 high speed internet technology in 80 percent of its footprint this year.

Called wideband, DOCSIS 3.0 introduces a technology that can bond parallel cable channels to transmit data at faster speeds, up to 50 Mbps download speeds in the highest tier Comcast makes available - the Extreme 50 tier.

Comcast had earlier predicted that it would roll out the new broadband technology in 65 percent of its footprint, but the company said it would beat that prediction in a quarterly earnings conference call Thursday.

"We have already installed wideband in nearly 50 percent of our footprint and we hope to reach close to 80 percent by year-end," Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said, according to Multichannel News.

Although an analyst report had predicted Comcast would grow its broadband subscriber base by a net of 250,000, Comcast COO Steve Burke said Thursday that the company added only 65,000 net subscribers in the quarter, MarketWatch reported.

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