Comcast will soon roll out its super-fast DOCSIS 3.1 Internet service, which will deliver gigabit-like speeds without major installation hassles.

After a successful test in Philadelphia and Atlanta late last year, the service will be available to residential and business customers in Atlanta and Nashville in early 2016, followed by Chicago, Detroit, and Miami in the second half of the year.

According to Comcast, DOCSIS 3.1 will bring gigabit speeds to Xfinity and Comcast Business Internet customers on standard cable connections; no fiber installation required. Just sign up for a plan and plug in a new modem.

Comcast's Gigabit Pro service does use fiber, but provides speeds of up to 2 gigabits per second. That launched in Atlanta last year before rolling out to Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Nashville, and several other markets. It's now available to 18 million homes across Comcast's national footprint, but costs about $230 per month.

Comcast did not announce pricing for DOCSIS 3.1 service, though it will likely be cheaper than Gigabit Pro.

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"We're constantly working to ensure that our customers get the fastest speeds available, and that they get them first," Comcast Central Division President Bill Connors said in a statement. "DOCSIS 3.1 represents a tremendous step forward in our commitment to keeping customers at the technology forefront.

"Combined with all the upgrades we have already put into our advanced fiber optic-coax network, this technology will not only provide more gigabit speed choices for customers, it will also eventually make these ultra-fast speeds available to the most homes in our service areas," Connors said.

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