Comcast Business (NASDAQ:CMCSA) has begun offering DOCSIS 3.1-based Internet service to business customers in its Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville service areas. Two business service tiers are available, "Business Internet 1 Gig" and "Business Internet 500," named for their respective downstream speeds.
"With more business operations moving to a cloud-based model, staying ahead of the bandwidth curve will be an important part of an organization's migration strategy," said Matt Davis, program director for IDC. "DOCSIS 3.1-based Internet will give small, medium and even larger organizations the opportunity to quickly add more network capacity at their locations, supporting new technology applications on-site or in the cloud."
Comcast Business plans to launch Business Internet 1 Gig and Business Internet 500 in the majority of its service areas throughout 2017 and into 2018. Pricing will vary based on a business's location or number of locations to be served and the services to which the business currently subscribes.
"High-capacity, high-performance Internet can be a difference-maker for businesses that want to leverage software-as-a-service applications to improve their operations or enhance the customer experience by offering in-store WiFi or a robust e-commerce site," said Kevin O'Toole, senior vice president of product management at Comcast Business. "DOCSIS 3.1 business Internet service offers a new and easy plug-and-play option for accessing gigabit speeds in any business environment - whether that is a large distributed enterprise across a wide geographic area or a small business with one or a few locations."