Comcast to offer 1 Gigabit internet service in Memphis market in late April

Comcast will roll out its new 1 Gigabit Internet service in Memphis in late April.

The service uses existing cable wiring and DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem technology to deliver Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit a second.

Comcast says it's among the fastest and most widely available services in West Tennessee, and subscribers will gain access to a national Wi-Fi network with more than 19 million hotspots.

Comcast began offering 1 Gigabit Internet more than a year ago in selected markets including Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit. Comcast said at the time it planned to expand to the majority of its service areas by 2018.

“Now more than ever, our customers require the fastest available speeds to support the growing number of devices at home and in the workplace,” Doug Guthrie, Comcast regional senior vice president, said in a news release. “By using DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem technology, we can now bring gigabit-caliber speeds to the most homes and businesses of any provider across the region.”

A release listed sample download times of 40 seconds for a 5 Gigabyte HD movie, four seconds for a 600 Megabyte TV episode, two seconds for a 150 Megabyte music album and two minutes for a 15 Gigabyte video game.

Residential 1 Gigabit service will have an everyday price of $139.95 a month without a term contract.

New business service options will include Business Internet 1 Gig and Business Internet 500.

Reach reporter Wayne Risher at (901) 529-2874 or wayne.risher@commercialappeal.com.