Comcast Unveils $300 'Platinum' Internet

Service aims to compete with top Verizon offering
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2012 11:58 AM CDT
Comcast Unveils $300 'Platinum' Internet
This Feb. 13, 2012 photo, shows Comcast service vehicles parked at a Comcast facility in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Is your Internet fast enough? And more importantly, does it cost enough? Well Comcast is looking to make sure the answer to both questions is "yes." It's rolling out a new "Xfinity Platinum" Internet service that boasts a top advertised speed of 305 megabits per second—for the low low price of $299.95 per month, Bloomberg reports. The move is obviously an attempt to keep pace with Verizon's FiOS service, which tops out at 300Mbps for $204.99 a month.

"Presumably, if Verizon FiOS offered speeds of 310Mbps, Comcast would have gone with 315," quips Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica. Still, he notes that Verizon may still be faster; FCC tests show that FiOS speeds are generally about 20% above what's advertised, compared to 3% for Comcast. The new service will only be available in select markets, almost all of them in the Northeast, where FiOS is popular. There's also good news for less-wealthy Comcast subscribers: its existing tiers are doubling in speed. (More Comcast stories.)

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