Comcast rolls out gigabit service for Nashville

On the heels of both Google Fiber and AT&T planning gigabit-speed connection in Nashville, Comcast is one-upping both companies and committing to Internet service that is twice as fast for Middle Tennessee residents.

Comcast will begin offering 2 gigabit-per-second service, called Gigabit Pro, to eligible Middle Tennessee homes as early as June, beating both AT&T and Google Fiber on fiber installation. The service has been announced in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Florida and California.

"We are clearly in a space where customers are pushing the boundaries of what the Internet can do," said Doug Guthrie, Comcast regional senior vice president. "Nashville being named No. 5 city for startups in the country, these are the types of cities we want to be in first."

Comcast, which has been offering gigabit speeds to Nashville businesses since 2010, will offer connection to residents living within a third of a mile of Comcast's fiber network, an estimated 500,000 homes. Pricing for installation and service has not been released.

The 2 gig speed would be 200 times faster than basic broadband, allowing subscribers to download a high-definition movie in 25 to 30 seconds or a 30-minute sitcom in as few as 3 seconds. The company seeks to offer the service to 18 million homes across the U.S. by year-end.

Comcast also unveiled its 1 gigabit service through modem technology Tuesday, which was reported earlier this year in the Washington Post. The connection would not rely on fiber installation, which would expedite the national rollout of gigabit speeds. Guthrie said the company plans to test modem technology, Gigabit Home Gateway, in Nashville and Atlanta in 2015, and it will be available to customers next year.

Google began exploring Nashville for fiber expansion in early 2014, making an official commitment to Nashville in January. In July AT&T announced it would be offering its fiber connection, GigaPower, at an undetermined date.

"This is the pattern that we have seen everywhere that Google Fiber has gone," said Jan Dawson, a telecom analyst in Provo, Utah. "Local telecom and local cable companies tend to up their speeds and try to compete head on if they can. ... If there is no competitive pressure to do something like this, the companies just don't do it."

Google also has not provided an installation time line for Nashville residents, but in other markets, connection has begun two years after the company's gigabit announcement. The company has said its Nashville prices will reflect those in other markets — $70 for Internet and $130 for Internet and TV — and it will determine which neighborhoods within Davidson County to reach based on demand.

Comcast will connect homes beyond Davidson County, with homes near Comcast's fiber network in Rutherford, Williamson and Sumner counties also eligible, Guthrie said.

"Google is simply not going to be there, and neither is AT&T," he said.

Google Fiber's expansion announcement was celebrated by Nashville residents eager for faster connection. While Comcast has garnered a reputation for poor customer service, it will have the advantage of an already established customer base.

Alex Curtis, a Nashville policy consultant behind the @NashvilleFiber Twitter handle, also welcomed a local Comcast fiber presence.

"For consumers having another player in town is very beneficial both for cost and choice," Curtis said. "(With) three gigabit providers in one city, that makes Nashville very competitive to make sure that we have the best and the brightest folks here taking advantage of that technology."

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.