Cox Communications said it is now testing DOCSIS 3.1-powered gigabit-speed broadband services with employees and will begin deploying the technology in some of its markets later this year.

“Our current deployment schedule is ahead of many providers: 40% of the households we serve nationwide will have access to Gigabit speeds by the end of 2017, and we will continue to aggressively expand the availability of our customers going forward,” Cox said in a statement released Friday.

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Cox announced its Gigablast platform in 2014, pledging to deploy gigabit-speed services via fiber-to-the-home in new developments across its 18-state footprint by 2016. The Atlanta-based provider fell short of that objective, but confirmed that it has launched FTTH services within all of its major markets.

“Our next phase is to drive broad gigabit availability nationwide via DOCSIS 3.1,” Cox said.

The statement added, “Bottomline, we remain fully committed to gigabit internet, and we’re about to step on the gas hard with the next deployment phase."

Cox has some catching up to do amid the ranks of top 10 U.S. cable operators.

Comcast, for example, put the peddle to the metal last year on DOCSIS 3.1 deployment and now has services up and running in Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and numerous other larger markets.

Mid-sized operator Mediacom, meanwhile, is on track to deploy DOCSIS 3.1-based gigabit-services across its entire footprint by the end of this year.