Comcast’s 2-Gig Internet Costs Up to $299 Per Month

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After Comcast released its super-fast, fiber-based Internet service in several markets, people in Philadelphia were undoubtedly excited. Internet at a speed of 2n gigabits per second (Gbps)? Yes please. Comcast calls it the fastest residential Internet you can buy.

Even though Philly has to wait until at least the end of the year to get access to Gigabit Pro, I thought I’d check into it a little bit more — and what immediately jumps out is the cost. Gigabit Pro costs $299 per month with a two-year contract and $159-per-month with a three-year contract. Pretty steep for Internet access. Plus, the installation can cost up to $500 and take six to eight weeks. If that weren’t enough, it also comes with an activation fee that can cost up to $500 — although the company is likely to run promo deals to lower that price.

“We’re using commercial-grade equipment – it’s not an easy install,” said Comcast Spokesman Charlie Douglas. “It requires putting a fiber connection directly to the home.”

Also, Gigabit Pro requires a wired connection to get up to the blazing 2 Gbps speed. That means a wifi connection will still be slower.

But Douglas was eager to put things into perspective. “We’re pushing the very limits of what’s possible here,” he said.

Douglas wouldn’t disclose how many customers have purchased Gigabit Pro, but did say there are “a number of customers” already using the service. It’s currently available in Atlanta, California, Chattanooga, Chicago, Colorado, Houston, Knoxville, Nashville, Northwest Indiana, Portland, the Twin Cities, Utah, and Washington state. Comcast has built 145,000 route miles of fiber across the country.

While it seems that Gigabit Pro will be reserved for those ready to spend a pretty penny, Comcast also has a DOCSIS 3.1, a scalable, national, 1 Gbps technology solution. Still being built, DOCSIS 3.1 uses existing coax cables and fiber to deliver gigabit-speed Internet connections — meaning it will likely be more affordable. The company has scheduled a roll out for early 2016.

“That’s the future strategy to bring multi-gig speeds to our entire footprint,” said Douglas. He didn’t have information on pricing and said Comcast plans to test the system later this year.

Comcast frequently upgrades its existing Internet speeds incrementally. In July, it announced that Blast! customers will go from 105 megabits per second (Mbps) to 150 Mbps. It also introduced a Performance Pro speed tier that will bump many triple-play customers from 25 Mbps to 75 Mbps.