In a bit of good news for Comcast subscribers — a rare bit of good news, some might argue — a new report suggests that the company is about to double or even triple its Internet data speeds for some subscribers. DSLReports on Tuesday afternoon cited an anonymous source in claiming that Comcast is preparing to increase data speeds for some subscribers. Speeds were already boosted for many users less than a year ago, but the ISP apparently isn’t done widening pipes for its customers.
According to the report, Comcast plans to increase download speeds on its “Performance” tier from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps. Subscribers on the “Blast” tier will see speeds jump from 50 Mbps to 105 Mbps, and the “Extreme” tier will nearly triple from 105 Mbps to 305 Mbps.
Why is Comcast increasing speeds so soon after the last bump? DSLReports isn’t shy in sharing a theory:
“The frequent upgrades (technically this would be the thirteenth upgrade in the last twelve years) allows Comcast to crow it’s offering incredible value, even if the competitive pricing for these tiers is something that’s often debated,” Karl Bode writes. “As is usually the case, price varies by market depending on the lack of local competition.”
Still unknown is exactly who will get the data speed boosts, and when. The report states that some Comcast customers could see speeds increase immediately, while a larger group in various regions should get the bump this March.
Also of note, the site’s source says that the speed boosts will only impact customers subscribed to Comcast’s double play and triple play deals, so Internet-only subscribers won’t see any changes. In other words, cord cutters who have ditched cable TV and moved to Internet-only video services will be left out during this round of huge speed boosts.
