Comcast Trademarks 'True Gig' High-Speed Internet Service
By Meghan Coyle
Comcast applied for a trademark last week for a high-speed Internet service named "True Gig." The company already offers an expensive high-speed Internet service known as the "Extreme 505" with 505Mbps download speeds, but Comcast plans to eventually launch an even faster gigabit Internet service. The company also wants to use the phrase to describe online video streaming. The company's previous video streaming service is no longer being offered as a standalone service.
The trademark application may be a sign that Comcast is serious about delivering gigabit Internet. The fiber-based Extreme 505 service can deliver a 505Mbps download speed and 100Mbps upload speed. The service costs $400 a month and is only available in certain markets. Other Internet service providers already offer gigabit Internet at much lower prices though, according to Ars Technica.
The faster Internet may make it easier for customers to hit Comcast's monthly data caps. The company is currently testing a 300GB monthly data cap in certain markets. Customers who use more than 300GB have to pay overage charges.
Comcast is not giving up on some of its other products as it continues to expand its Internet service. Streampix, Comcast's video streaming service, never caught on, so the company discontinued it as a standalone product, reports Ars Technica in a related article.
The video streaming service is now only available online and on the Xfinity app. The trademark application suggests that the company may try to rebrand that service.
In terms of Comcast's signature cable service, the company plans to improve the transfer speeds using a new cable standard. Comcast will start testing the new DOCSIS 3.1 cable standard next year.
Topics: App, Comcast, Connectivity, Data Cap, DOCSIS 3.1, Download Speed, Extreme 505, Fiber, Gigabit Internet, High Speed, Internet, Internet Service, ISP, Online, Standard, Streampix, Testing, Trademark, Transfer Speeds, True Gig, Upload Speed, Video Streaming, Xfinity