Comcast to Launch Extreme 50 Mbps High-Speed Internet Service in Sacramento

LIVERMORE, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast, one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced it is making the leap from broadband to wideband with the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 in the Sacramento area (see complete list of cities and areas below).  The launch completes Comcast's rollout of the service in California.  The company previously deployed wideband in the San Francisco Bay Area and several portions of the Central Valley, including Davis, Roseville and Placerville.

With wideband, Comcast has introduced a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which will redefine the customer experience online and create a platform for Internet innovation in the years ahead.  Comcast now offers some of the fastest speeds available in Central California, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps.  Wideband also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers.

Beginning today, Comcast's new internet services will be available to residential homes and businesses in all regions of Sacramento County, including:  Antelope, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Elverta, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Galt, Gold River, Mather, North Highlands, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, Rio Linda and Sacramento.  Customers in these areas will soon be conducting business, surfing the web and playing online games even faster.  

"Wideband utilizes our existing advanced fiber-optic network in neighborhoods across our footprint to dramatically enhance our customers' online experience," said Fred Walkover, Vice President of Comcast's Sacramento Area.  "This new service will enable us to continue to offer our customers even faster speeds and an entirely new realm of Internet innovation."

As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast has launched the new 50 Mbps premium speed tier to its residential and business customers. The new service is ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several computers or Internet-connected devices, while also appealing to those who simply want some of the fastest speeds available today:

New Residential Tier

• Extreme 50, offers up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed at $99.95 a month.*

With Extreme 50, Comcast customers will be able to download a high-definition movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-definition movie (2 GB) in about five minutes and a standard-definition 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 Extreme 50 speed tier, wideband is also enabling Comcast to boost speeds for most of its existing residential customers.  Performance customers will benefit from increases in downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.  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 also benefit from wideband with increased efficiency and productivity. Customers can sign up for the Deluxe 50 Mbps / 10 Mbps tier for $189.95 a 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. A new Premium tier will also be introduced, offering speeds up to 22 Mbps / 5 Mbps for $99.95 a month.

Comcast has now rolled out the new wideband technology to nearly 80 percent of its footprint across the nation, which means that more than 40 million homes and businesses can now enjoy one of the fastest Internet services in the country.

To find out when wideband will be available customers can visit www.comcast.com/fastestfast or call 1-888-COMCAST.

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

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.6 million cable customers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.6 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.

Comcast's California Region, based in Livermore, California, serves more than 2.3 million customers in Northern and Central California.  Comcast employs more than 7,000 local residents across the region.

SOURCE Comcast