Comcast Xfinity on Monday announced a new modem-router, called the xFi Advanced Gateway, which supports Wi-Fi 6E, the latest generation of Wi-Fi that can take advantage of the 6GHz spectrum band.
Unlike previous Wi-Fi standards -- including the current standard-bearer, Wi-Fi 6 -- which use the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum bands, Wi-Fi 6E can also tap into the 6GHz band, which the Federal Communications Commissions only recently opened up. This allows for greater bandwidth and potentially much higher speeds.
"We're making the latest advancement in Wi-Fi available to our customers today, so their home networks are ready for all of the Wi-Fi 6E capable devices that hit the shelves in the future," said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable CEO, in a press release.
The new xFi Advanced Gateway will be gradually released over the next few months. It will be rolled out first to Xfinity subscribers of Gigabit speed plans or above or those signed up for the xFi Complete package (which is any speed plan with the addition of unlimited data).
Comcast's news follows on the heels of Verizon's December reveal of a new tri-band Wi-Fi 6E device, which is currently available to Verizon 5G Home Internet customers and will soon be expanded to include Verizon Fios subscribers as well. Suffice to say that internet service providers see a multi-gig future on the near horizon and are dashing to show their customers they're adequately prepared.
Comcast Xfinity is the nation's largest cable internet provider, with serviceability in 39 states and Washington, DC.
