Comcast is now offering its DOCSIS 3.0-enabled 100 Mbps tier to businesses in Michigan, as well as a voice trunking service.
The Comcast Business wideband tier features up to 100 Mbps on the downstream and 10 Mbps on the upstream, which is up to 60 times faster than download speeds for a T1 line.
The 100 Mbps wideband service is available across several Michigan communities that Comcast Business Class serves, including metropolitan Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Ann Arbor, among others. Comcast said several communities across western Michigan will also have the faster tier by next year.
“Internet speeds this fast are a game changer for businesses,” said Bill Stemper, president of Comcast Business Services. “One hundred Mbps provides the bandwidth required for an office full of people to access the hosted, cloud-based services that are fueling business productivity, while also reducing costs.”
The service also includes Microsoft Communication Services, which is valued at more than $500, and Microsoft Outlook email powered by Microsoft Exchange Server for no additional fee. In addition, Comcast’s business-class DOCSIS service includes Norton Business Suite software (up to a $490 retail value), which offers PCs protection from viruses and spyware.
Also in Michigan, Comcast is rolling out a scalable voice platform, called “Comcast Business Class Trunks.” Comcast Business Class Trunks provide a connection between the customer’s telephone system (their PBX) and the Comcast network. A customer may choose to have any number of voice channels – essentially simultaneously usable phone lines – from six all the way up to 23.
“Our scalable voice trunking solution gives businesses with more sophisticated communications needs or multiple locations a more reliable, flexible phone service option,” said Jeff Freyer, vice president of Comcast Business Services in the Heartland Region. “Since our IP network is physically separate and diverse from leased or public facilities, disruptions to other networks do not impact the performance of our network. Plus, when Comcast Business Class Trunks are coupled with lightning-fast Comcast Business Class Internet, business owners can save up to 20 percent over competitive offerings.”
In this week’s third-quarter earnings report, Comcast announced its business services revenue increased 39 percent in the quarter to $454 million.
“Business services is also becoming a significant driver of our growth, as annualized revenue approaching $2 billion and 39 percent growth in the quarter,” Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said on the third-quarter earnings call. “I’m excited about the prospects for this business, which continues to post strong results on the small end of the market and has a big opportunity still ahead with the mid-size businesses.”
