Comcast Business targets more fiber deployments in Capitol Beltway area
Comcast Business has made its second recent announcement of plans to expand its fiber-optic network footprint. The business services arm of Comcast says it plans to spend $28 million over the next two years to deploy fiber in the Beltway Region of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia. The news follows a similar announcement of fiber network deployment plans in around Philadelphia and New Jersey (see “Comcast Business touts network expansion efforts in Greater Philadelphia, New Jersey”).
The $28 million investment figure includes $13 million spent in 2020 and $15 million in projects underway or planned for 2021. The new infrastructure will enable the delivery of such business services as Ethernet, internet, voice to nearly 7,000 additional businesses, Comcast Business expects. The company will offer 1 Gbps for smaller businesses and up to 100 Gbps for larger enterprises.
Markets that will see new or additional fiber include:
- Delaware: Georgetown, Ocean View, Rehoboth Beach, and Smyrna
- Maryland: Eastern Shore, Frederick, and Montgomery County
- Virginia: Ashburn, Dulles, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, Lynchburg, and Richmond; planned investments include Front Royal, Tysons Corner, and Warrenton
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia: Huntington and Martinsburg
"The ability to offer both diversity of network and carrier is becoming increasingly important to help drive economic development and transformation. Connectivity is at the core of this and, more than ever, is an integral factor as businesses expand and prepare for what's next,” commented Ed Rowan, senior director of Comcast Business Sales Operations in Comcast's Beltway Region. “Our network expansions across Comcast's Beltway Region are the latest example of the significant technology investments we've made to increase the availability of our multi-Gigabit Ethernet services. These investments will help foster economic development, transform our local communities, and better meet next-generation capacity needs across the region."
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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