As promised, Comcast has launched the company's ultra-fast gigabit cable service in the company's first market: Atlanta. A Comcast announcement indicates that the DOCSIS 3.1 based service launch will only be a "trial" that will be made available to " a number of neighborhoods" in Atlanta -- not the full market. The service won't be symmetrical, with upstream speeds locked at 35 Mbps.
Users in Atlanta have the option of paying $70 a month if they sign a 36 month contract, or an "every day price" with no contract at $140 a month.
That's Comcast's attempt at price competition, given that Atlanta is one of the markets Google Fiber has targeted for deployment. Comcast tells me that while the $70 option will not feature the company's usage caps (which are being "trialed" in the Atlanta market) users on the no-contract, $140 plan will face usage caps. They also have the option of paying $35 per month extra to avoid said caps.
The heavy emphasis on pushing users toward the three-year contract option is so that Comcast can lock customers down in contracts ahead of Google Fiber's deployment in the city. Unlike the company's 2 Gbps "Gigabit Pro" offering, this new gigabit cable option will not feature activation or installation fees. Contract customers will face a $350 early termination fee if they cancel while within the contract period.
"Our Atlanta customers will be among the first in the world to enjoy this new Gigabit technology, and we’re looking forward to learning more from these early adopters about how they take advantage of these ultra-fast speeds,” Comcast says of the launch. “The capabilities of DOCSIS 3.1 are incredibly exciting, and we are the first to market with a Gigabit offering that runs over our existing cable infrastructure.”
Comcast has previously stated that Nashville will join Atlanta in getting the faster DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades early this year, with Chicago, Detroit, and Miami on deck for launches later this year. Comcast says that feedback received during these early trial launches will "help ensure future market rollouts deliver the best possible customer experience."
Interested users can find more detail on Comcast's gigabit offering at the company's website.
