WebProNews

Comcast said today that it will begin rolling out ultra fast Internet service in some of its larger markets and will offer faster connections to all of its subscribers over the next two years.

The company said it will introduce its wideband Docsis 3.0 in the Boston region, Southern New Hampshire, as well as areas of Philadelphia and New Jersey. Comcast said it plans to continue to introduce its wideband in more than 10 major markets in the next several months.

Comcast will begin offering its "Extreme 50" service with 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed for $139.95 per month. It will also offer its "Ultra" service with 22 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 5 Mbps of upstream speed for $62.95 per month.

The company says its Extreme subscribers will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard -def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds.

"Wideband is a game-changer for the industry. With wideband running over our next-generation fiber-optic network, we can greatly enhance our customers' online experience immediately. And these speeds are only a preview of what's to come-wideband will provide the capability of delivering dramatically faster speeds in excess of 160 Mbps in the future," said Mitch Bowling, SVP and General Manager, Comcast Online Services.

Comcast has received criticism from the FCC for throttling broadband speeds of its heaviest Internet news users and last month released details of how it will manage network traffic.