Why You Can Trust CNET Comcast to Deliver Symmetrical Cable Internet Speeds to Colorado Springs. What Does That Mean for You?
Xfinity Internet will have multi-gigabit capabilities for download and upload speeds. This could be a game-changer for remote workers and avid gamers.
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Comcast revealed that its Xfinity Internet service will soon unveil several symmetrical speed plans to residential customers in select neighborhoods of Colorado Springs. That means new and existing customers can sign up for four different tiers with similar download and upload speeds.
This new portfolio of plans, dubbed X-Class Internet, will feature 300 megabits per second, 500Mbps, 1 gigabit per second and 2Gbps speeds. The download speeds may not necessarily get your attention -- Xfinity has offered those types of plans for years now -- but the headliner here is the equal upload speed.
Currently, the upload speed on Xfinity's cable plans (even its Gigabit tier) tops out between 20-35Mbps. That's not unique to Xfinity. With all cable internet plans, the upload speeds will be well below the download speed. While we often pay closer attention to our download speeds (that's what helps us binge-watch our favorite Netflix programs -- The Great British Baking Show, for example), the upload speeds impact video chats, remote meetings, uploading work files and lag-free online gaming.
Locating local internet providers
When readers are unsure whether they have cable or fiber internet, we recommend they run an internet speed test. If your download and upload speeds are similar (both around 400Mbps, for example), you probably have a fiber internet connection. But if your download speed is 400Mbps and your upload speed only hits about 15Mbps, you're probably hooked up with cable internet.
In our CNET Broadband coverage, we often proclaim fiber as the gold standard of internet connections due to its symmetrical speeds. In fact, we mentioned it recently in our examination of gigabit internet plans. But Xfinity is utilizing new DOCSIS 4.0 technology (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification), which doesn't require any new digging, passings or connections. As a spokesperson shared with CNET, "What's important is that it is over the same connections already in people's homes."
Locating local internet providers
Comcast also announced that in addition to the Colorado Springs market, portions of Atlanta and Philadelphia are expected to start seeing the new X-Class tiers before the end of the year. Additional markets can expect the rollout to arrive over the next few years.