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Internet

Comcast Puts the Pedal to the Metal: Announces New 65% Benchmark to Roll Out Wideband High-Speed Internet Services In 2009

Comcast, (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced it is setting a new goal to reach more than 30 million homes and businesses, or 65% of its footprint, this year with superfast wideband speeds running on next-generation DOCSIS 3.0. 

Comcast also confirmed it has now introduced these new faster Internet speeds across 30% of its footprint, or more than 15 million homes and businesses, redefining its customers' online experience and creating a revolutionary new platform for Internet innovation for application developers in the years ahead.  Comcast's superfast speeds have already begun launching in ten major markets, including the Twin Cities, the Boston Metropolitan region and parts of Southern New Hampshire, the Philadelphia Metropolitan area, parts of New Jersey, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Ft. Wayne, Portland and Seattle. Comcast will launch additional new markets in the weeks and months ahead. 

With wideband, Comcast is able to offer some of the fastest Internet speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier at up to 50 Mbps downstream. It is also able to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers for no additional cost. 

"What we're finding is that speed really matters to consumers, particularly as they watch more video on the Internet on sites like YouTube and Fancast.com. In addition, gaming, downloading and other applications get even better with more speed," said Steve Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Comcast Cable.  "Looking ahead, our goal is to get our entire footprint up to 12 Mbps and to offer 50 to 100 Mbps in as many places as possible." 

As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast is launching two new premium speed tiers to its residential and business class customers. Both services are ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several computers or Internet-connected devices. They also will appeal to those who simply want some of the fastest speeds available in the U.S. today: 

New Residential Tiers  

  • Extreme 50, offering up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed at $139.95/month.*

  • Ultra, offering up to 22 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 5 Mbps of upstream speed at $62.95/month.*

With Extreme 50, Comcast customers, for example, will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster than ever.  

In addition to the new speed tiers, Comcast also is increasing speeds for most of its existing customers. 

  •  Performance tier customers will benefit from doubled downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.

  •  Performance Plus customers will be upgraded to Comcast's Blast! tier, which will double their download speeds to up to 16 Mbps and provide up to 2 Mbps of upload speed.

Plus, with PowerBoost® technology, customers are able to enjoy even faster speeds to download and upload files such as videos, games, music and photos. 

New Business Class Tiers
Business customers will benefit from wideband with increased efficiency and productivity. Customers can sign up for the Deluxe 50 Mbps / 10 Mbps tier for $189.95/month, which includes a full suite of features and support. As part of their service, Comcast Business Class customers receive Microsoft Communication Services, providing corporate-class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing, as well as additional benefits such as firewall protection, static IP addresses, multiple e-mail addresses and business class 24/7 customer support. Existing business class customers also will receive complimentary speed increases-speeds on the Starter tier will be doubled to up to 12 Mbps / 2 Mbps and a new Premium Tier also will be introduced, offering speeds up to 22 Mbps / 5 Mbps for only $99.95/month. 

To find out when wideband will be available customers can visit www.comcast.com/fastestfast or call 1-800-Comcast.

*Pricing for residential customers and requires subscription to Comcast Cable service. 

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 14.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.5 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. 

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.