In my experiences with ISPs, I’ve always found Comcast to be significantly better than Verizon. Now Comcast’s CEO and Prez Brian Roberts is really sticking it to the big V. Yesterday, he showed off a new cable modem that’s capable of downloading at an astounding 150 megabits/sec and uploading at…well, the report doesn’t say, but it sure as hell better be faster than the 30KB/sec max I get now. This new modem uses DOCSIS 3.0 technology to increase speeds through bonding cable lines together, allowing for a bigger pipe to shove porn data down.
So, excited? I was, until I read that it’s going to be a few years until both the technology and modem hit the consumer market. Comcast is using the new modem to compete with Verizon’s FIOS system, which I think 19 people total have. But it may be worth the wait. From the article:
In the presentation, ARRIS Group Inc. chief executive Robert Stanzione downloaded a 30-second, 300-megabyte television commercial in a few seconds and watched it long before a standard modem worked through an estimated download time of 16 minutes.
Stanzione also downloaded the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica 2007 and Merriam-Webster’s visual dictionary in under four minutes, when it would have taken a standard modem three hours and 12 minutes.
“If you look at what just happened, 55 million words, 100,000 articles, more than 22,000 pictures, maps and more than 400 video clips,” Roberts said. “The same download on dial-up would have taken two weeks.”
The dial-up comparison is a bit dated and lame, but still, those speeds are enough to garner my attention. Consider me sold Comcast.