Comcast Progressing Toward Symmetrical 1-Plus Gbps
Symmetrical broadband is a "focus" for Comcast "for the next several years," Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson said Thursday as the company detailed progress toward offering multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds while announcing Q1 results. CEO Brian Roberts said the cable ISP…
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live-tested 1.25 Gbps symmetrical speeds in October. Roberts said it did a lab test earlier this month of DOCSIS 4.0, which opens the door to multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds. Watson said Comcast's upstream broadband traffic is a tenth of downstream. "Over time, I think we can address symmetrical issues," he said. Roberts said Comcast's other major initiative is virtualizing its network using AI and machine learning, as it moves functions into the cloud. He said that also involves automating core network functions. Comcast has spent close to $30 billion over the past decade building its 191,000 route-mile fiber network, he said. The company ended the quarter with 28.8 million residential broadband subscribers, up 1.9 million year over year, it said. Chief Financial Officer Mike Cavanagh said broadband growth momentum is continuing into Q2, and Comcast expects mid-single-digit percentage growth in broadband for the year. Comcast's broadband business could get further juiced by the federal dollars "being thrown at connectivity" in the Cares Act, MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett wrote investors. Broadband benefited during the pandemic, and that growth isn't slowing, he said.