Cox Communications has extended the reach of “G1GABLAST,” its residential 1-Gig broadband service, to parts of Middle Georgia, along with some speed upgrades of its existing high-speed Internet tiers.

Cox announced the launch earlier this week at the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce in Warner Robins, near Tiffany Kensington, the first neighborhood in the state to get the new, faster service from the MSO. The operator has also introduced gigabit Internet service in other nearby areas, including South Bend in Bonaire.

Cox, which will use a mix of FTTP and DOCSIS 3.1 technologies as part of a plan to offer 1-Gig residential service in all markets by the end of this year, has already launched G1GABLAST in parts of the Phoenix; Orange County and San Diego; Hampton  Roads, Va.; Northwest Arkansas; Wichita, Kan.; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.;  Las Vegas; Rhode Island; Baton Rouge; and Omaha. 

In Middle Georgia, Cox also bumped the speeds offered on its Premiere and Ultimate high speed Internet packages -- Ultimate download speeds will rise from 200 Mbps to 300 Mbps; while Premiere will rise from 100 Mbps to 150 Mbps. 

Cox Communications said it has begun to roll out “G1GABLAST,” its 1 Gbps residential broadband service, in Tucson, Ariz., with an initial deployment set for The Place @ Presidio Trails, a new development with one- two- and three bedroom apartment homes.

Update: Cox will sell G1GABLAST in Tucson for  $119.99 per month as a standalone, and $99.99 per month when bundled with other Cox services. The offering includes a WiFi router, one terabyte of cloud storage, the Cox Security Suite and Family Protection service, and 10 email boxes (15 gigabytes of storage for each address).

Cox, which launched 1-Gig in Phoenix in 2014, said G1GABLAST is now live in parts of ten states, and that it’s on track to offer gigabit broadband in all markets by the end of 2016. Cox has also deployed G1GABLAST in parts of Oklahoma; Rhode Island; Las Vegas; Omaha; San Diego; Orange County; Baton Rouge; Hampton Roads, Va.; Northwest Arkansas; Wichita;  and Tulsa.

In the early going, Cox is using FTTP to deliver residential 1-Gig in select areas, but will also deliver those faster speeds on its more widely deployed HFC network using DOCSIS 3.1 technology.

 “We are excited to deliver the choice of gigabit speeds to our customers,” said Cox Communications president Pat Esser, in a statement. “Coupled with our 250 employees in southern Arizona and more than 24,000 nationwide, our latest investments and the deployment of the fastest speeds available are powering economic growth and development for businesses and residents of the communities we serve.”

Cox has promoted company vet Steve Necessary to executive vice president of product development and management, a role that spans the organization's residential and commercial businesses.

Necessary, previously VP of video product development and management, reports to Cox president Pat Esser. Necessary has been leading the broader on an interim role for the past several months, said Cox, which recently signed a national deal to license Comcast’s X1 platform for a next-gen version of Cox’s Contour multiscreen video product.

“Steve has done a tremendous job leading the product team on an interim basis, driving the rapid expansion of residential Gigabit Internet, transition to all digital video service and the recent launch of the new Contour TV,” Esser said in a statement. “He and the product organization will continue to push for more rapid development cycles to deliver more choice and capabilities to help our customers connect to the things they care about most.”

Necessary joined Cox in January 2005, and has previously held exec slots at Concurrent Computer Corporation, at Scientific-Atlanta (now part of Cisco Systems), and PowerTV, once a video software subsidiary of S-A. 

He is also a member of Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and is on the board of directors for InDemand. Necessary is also an emeritus member of the board of the Atlanta Ballet and Christians in Cable and is active in Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church.

He received a bachelor's degree in engineering economic systems from the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Cox Communications’s residential 1-Gig march continued this week with the debut of the MSO’s “G1GABLAST” service in parts of Northern Virginia,  where the operator tangles with Verizon FiOS, a fiber-fed platform that currently tops out at 500 Mbps.

Cox billed the launch as the first gigabit service in the DC Metro area (Comcast has not yet made Gigabit Pro, its residential 2 Gbps FTTP offering, available in the Washington, D.C. area) .  Early on, Cox is offering 1-Gig residential broadband to residents at Timber Ridge at Discovery Square in Fairfax County.

Cox recently expanded G1GABLAST to parts of Providence, the service’s initial entry into the Rhode Island market, and has it deployed it to portions of Phoenix; Las Vegas; Omaha; San Diego; Orange County; Baton Rouge; Hampton Roads, Va.; Northwest Arkansas; Wichita; Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

In Northern Virginia, Cox is selling G1GABLAST for $99.99 per month when bundled with other Cox services.

Cox currently offers 1-Gig using fiber-to-the-premises technology, and has plans to deliver gigabit speeds using DOCSIS 3.1, cable’s next-gen IP platform for HFC networks as Cox fulfills its plan to begin market-wide deployment of 1-Gig broadband by the end of 2016.

 “We are excited to deliver the choice of gigabit speeds to our customers,” said Cox Communications president Pat Esser said in a statement. “Coupled with our 2,400 employees throughout Cox Virginia and more than 24,000 nationwide, our latest investments and the deployment of the fastest speeds available are powering economic growth and development for businesses and residents of the communities we serve.”

“Cox has invested $1.33 billion in our network in Virginia in the last ten years to meet the growing demands of our customers,” added Cox Virginia SVP and regional manager J.D. Myers II. “We are committed to keeping our residential and businesses customers in Northern Virginia connected to the things they care about most, today and in the years to come."     

Cox Communications has expanded Gigablast, its 1-Gig residential broadband service, to several properties in downtown Providence, marking the service’s entry into Rhode Island.

Gigablast, currently offered by Cox via fiber-to-the-premises technology, has been rolled out to Cox subs living in the Foundry's Sharpe building (25 Holden Street), and will be offered soon in the Peerless (150 Union Street) and Kinsley buildings (334 Westminster Street), the MSO said, noting that 1-Gig will also launch to three additional Cornish Associates-owned properties downtown as customers move in.

Cox said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and local developers joined the operator in announcing gigabit Internet in the city during an event at the Westminster Lofts' Peerless building.

Cox has also launched Gigablast in parts of Phoenix; Las Vegas; Omaha; San Diego; Orange County; Baton Rouge; Hampton Roads, Va.; Northwest Arkansas; Wichita; Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The MSO is currently selling the 1-Gig service for $35 per month when bundled with other Cox services, or $99 per month as a standalone.

Cox is initially using FTTP to deliver gigabit speeds, but also has plans to use DOCSIS 3.1, an emerging multi-gigabit platform for HFC networks as Cox fulfills its plan to begin market- wide deployment of Gigabit services by the end of 2016.  

"We are excited to be the first to offer gigabit speeds in Rhode Island," said Jay Allbaugh, senior vice president and region manager, Cox Communications. "Our latest investments and the deployment of the fastest speeds available are powering economic growth and development in the communities we serve."

"As we look to the future for Providence, it is important to leverage the latest technology to optimize our environment for residents and businesses," Elorza added. "The gigabit speeds available in these residential buildings are one more asset Providence can boast about to attract people to live, work and play here. Thank you to Cox, Cornish and the Foundry for partnering to enhance our city's offerings." 

Cox has kicked off its 1-gig residential service rollout in San Diego, marking the occasion with an event near the Pinnacle, a new 45-store apartment building in the city’s East Village that is among the first locations that will get the new service.

Cox said the initial launch will also include some new single-family homes in Escondido and north San Diego. Service there will run $99 a month, plus a $100 installation fee, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. 

Cox, which is marketing the service under the G1GABLAST brand, is initially using fiber-to-the-premises technology to deliver gigabit speeds, but also has plans to use DOCSIS 3.1, an emerging multi-gigabit platform for HFC networks.

Following its first G1GABLAST service launch in Phoenix last fall, Cox has also started targeted FTTP overlays in Omaha,  New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.; Las Vegas and Phoenix, and FTTP in all of its new-build systems. Cox’s plan is to begin market- wide deployment of Gigabit services by the end of 2016.  

"Cox is the first provider in San Diego County to offer gigabit speeds to residential customers," Dave Bialis, SVP and region manager for Cox’s California operations, said in a statement. "We're excited to once again be on the forefront of bringing the latest technology to our customers, and we'll continue investing in our network and our community."

Cox also announced that customers on its Ultimate Internet package will see their speeds double later this year from 150 Mbps (down) to 300 Mbps. 

ox Communications has expanded the reach of its new 1-Gig residential service to  Louisiana, selecting Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Acadiana as the first sites for its ongoing “G!GABLAST” initiative. 

Cox said it announced the expansion at an event at the Americana Traditional Neighborhood Development in the city of Zachary, one of the first neighborhoods in the state to receive the new service.

In addition to the Americana subdivision there, Cox has also brought 1-Gig to the Lexi Falls subdivision in Broussard, and the Bella Ridge/Cottonwood Creed apartments in Harahan, which is located just outside of New Orleans. Cox said it plans to extend access to the service, initially offered using fiber-to-the-premises technology, to other properties in Louisiana “in the near future.”

Under its G!GABLAST initiative, Cox plans to offer residential gigabit speeds in all its markets by the end of 2016 using both FTTP and, soon, DOCSIS 3.1, an emerging platform for HFC networks that will support multi-gigabit speeds.

Cox has also introduced G1GABLAST service in parts of the Phoenix; Orange County, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Omaha. 

"We are excited about our roadmap to offer gigabit speeds to all of our residential customers," said Jacqui Vines, senior vice president and region manager for Cox's Southeast Region, in a statement.  "We are deploying new technology and infrastructure that will offer our customers the choice of gigabit speeds in all markets we serve."

"Americana has been planned to provide the highest level of technology for a smart mixed community in the State of Louisiana.  We have partnered with Cox over the last two years and today is the latest advancement of our smart community technology plan for Americana," added Charles Landry, Americana's lead developer.

Cox also  announced that customers in Louisiana who choose its Ultimate Internet package will see their speeds increase later this summer – from 150 Mbps to 200 Mbps.

For a more detailed view on how fiber is becoming an increasing part of the cable industry’s broadband diet, please see this week’s Multichannel News cover story (subscription required).

Cox Communications is rolling out a speed upgrade in Arizona that will double the max downstream speed of its “Ultimate” Internet tier from 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps, while also raising the paired upstream from 20 Mbps to 30 Mbps.

The free upgrade (Ultimate costs $99.99 per month) will be implemented in September, and will be introduced in other Cox markets later this year. Cox is delivering it on its DOCSIS 3.0 network.

Cox has also been busy rolling out G1GABLAST, its 1 Gbps residential service that is initially being offered via FTTP, but will eventually be offered on the MSO’s HFC network via DOCSIS 3.1, an emerging platform that will support multi-gigabit speeds.

Cox first rolled out G1GABLAST first in Phoenix in 2014, and has since introduced it in Orange County, Calif.; Omaha, Neb.; Las Vegas; Hampton Roads, Va.; and New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La. Cox is also in the network-deployment phase for it in parts of Arkansas, Rhode Island and Oklahoma, with service to launch in those areas by the end of this year.  Cox has plans underway to offer 1-Gig in all its markets by the end of 2016.

Cox is also rolling out a WiFi network that includes 1,200 hotspots in metro Phoenix and Tucson. Cox is part of a Cable WiFi roaming group (Comcast, Cablevision Systems, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Network are the other current members; Charter Communications will be joining them) that has deployed more than 400,000 hotspots that are accessible to their respective cable modem subs.

Cox Communications followed up its recent launch of Gigabit services in Phoenix by announcing a limited rollout of 1-Gig in Virginia, starting with new homes at the Viridian Reserve at Hickory in Chesapeake.

Cox laid claim to being the first “national communications provider” in the state to commit to a residential Gigabit Internet strategy.

The Virginia announcement comes after Cox announced earlier this year that it will begin market-wide deployment of gigabit speeds by the end of 2016. Earlier this month, Cox began to roll out its new service, branded as “G1GABLAST,” in Phoenix, where the MSO will initially offer it to more than 5,000 homes there this year, and ramp that up to 150,000 homes in Phoenix by the end of 2015. Cox has also identified Las Vegas and Omaha among markets that will get access to Gigabit speeds in the early phases of deployment.

The number of homes that initiallyi will have access to the new offering in Virginia as well as anticipated pricing on the product weren’t immediately known. In Phoenix, Cox is selling 1-Gig for $99 per month as a stand-alone service, and $69.99 per month when bundled with other Cox services.

Update: Cox said 165 homes are planned for this new community, noting that the company expects to make Gigabit speeds available to residents at the Viridian development by late 2015. Cox hasn’t announced pricing for its 1-Gig offerings in the Virginia area, but said it will “price the service competitively.”

Cox is initially powering G1GABLAST using fiber-to-the-home technologies, but intends to use broaden access to 1-Gig speeds using DOCSIS 3.1 as that technology becomes available.

"We are excited about our road map to offer gigabit speeds to all of our residential customers," Pat Esser (pictured above), president of Cox, said in a statement about the Virginia rollout. "We are deploying new technology and infrastructure that will offer our customers the choice of gigabit speeds in all markets we serve."

"We are proud of our long-standing commitment to the Hampton Roads community," added Gary McCollum, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Virginia. "Cox is driven by our customer feedback and we will continue our investment to deliver what customers have come to expect from us: industry leading products and services and a superior customer experience."

Cox is also in the process of rolling out free upgrades that double the max downstream speeds of the MSO’s two most popular DOCSIS 3.0-powered broadband tiers, with Cox Preferred rising from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps, and Premiere jumping from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. More than 70% of Cox’s residential broadband customers take one of those two broadband service tiers. Cox expects to complete those upgrades in all markets by the end of the year.

Presenting a possible hint that Comcast is gearing up to launch a residential 1 Gbps broadband service, the operator recently filed a trademark application for “True Gig.”

The application, first spotted by The Donohue Report, was filed on October 20, 2014, and covers high-speed access via traditional ISP services, wireless and wireless, and different access technologies, including HFC and fiber.

Comcast, which declined to comment on the trademark application, has yet to launch a residential 1-Gig broadband service or announce when it might introduce such a service.  

The current, fastest residential broadband service offered by Comcast is Extreme 505, a $399.95  per month, targeted fiber-to-the-premises product that today offers 505 Mbps downstream by 100 Mbps upstream. Following its debut in the Northeastern U.S. in the fall of 2012, Comcast has since extended the reach of the product to include systems in MSO's South Division and Central Division.  Extreme 505 uses Comcast’s Metro Ethernet platform, which is capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds to business customers.

Comcast’s current high-end DOCSIS 3.0 product offers max downstream speeds of 150 Mbps (Comcast is also expected to be among the most aggressive with DOCSIS 3.1, which will help cable deliver 1-Gig capacities over HFC).

And we’ll have to see what Comcast means by “True Gig,” if and when it decides to use the phrase in its advertising. It’s possible, I suppose, that Comcast could use it to describe a service that brings 1-Gig into the home and is complemented by residential gateways outfitted with 1-Gig-capable 802.11ac WiFi. Comcast has already begun to tout a new Cisco Systems-made D3.0 gateway that comes equipped with 802.11ac.

Whatever the case, it’s another example of how ISPs and industry organizations are gravitating toward product names and slogans with “Gig” in there somewhere.

Among other examples: AT&T is deploying “GigaPower,” Cox Communications is starting to roll out its “G1GABLAST” service in Phoenix, and the entire cable industry is starting to use the “Gigasphere” brand and logo as cable operators pursue DOCSIS 3.1 and the ability to deliver 1-Gig speeds on a broad basis.

Cox Communications has signed up its first 1-Gig residential customer, the Atlas family in Phoenix, and company president Pat Esser and other Cox execs paid a visit to mark the occasion.

They’re the first single-family home to sign up as Cox prepares to activate its 1-Gig service, branded as G1GABLAST, later this month (pictured left-to-right are: Steve Atlas, Alice Atlas, Dixie the dog, Pat Esser, Allison Atlas, and Jenna Atlas). Cox said John Wolfe, SVP and southwest region manager; and John Dyer, president of Cox Enterprises (parent company of Cox Communications), were also on hand.

After announcing a plan to eventually bring Gigabit speeds to all its markets, Cox offered an update on the initiative earlier this month by announcing the service brand as it moved ahead with the deployment process in Phoenix.  Cox will make G1GABLAST available to more than 5,000 homes in Phoenix by the end of this year, and has committed to expand that to 150,000 homes by the end of 2015.

In Phoenix, the 1-Gig service will sell for $99 per month as a stand-alone, or $69.99 per month when matched Cox service bundles. It’s matching the new, faster service with a new Wi-Fi router, one terabyte of cloud storage, Cox Security Suite and Family Protection and 10 email boxes each with 15 gigabytes of storage.

"We've committed to rolling out gigabit speeds in all our markets as a broadband choice for all customers,” Esser said in a statement. “The Atlas family is the first of many homes to embrace this ultra-fast Internet and the 'Gig Life' it brings. Our pace of investment and innovation will only increase to continue to help business and residential customers connect to the things they care about most.”

In April, Cox announced that it would launch residential 1-Gig service initially to parts of Phoenix, follow with deployments in Las Vegas and Omaha, and begin market-wide deployment of gigabit speeds by the end of 2016.

Cox began the 1-Gig preregistration process for Phoenix in July using an initial build curve that will include new multiple dwelling units and other new housing developments, as well as some overbuild for existing neighborhoods. G1GABLAST will initially be delivered using a targeted deployment of fiber-to-the-home technologies, and then extend 1-Gig service to other areas using DOCSIS 3.1 as that technology becomes available.

Cox Communications has shed more light on its initial rollout of 1-Gig services in Phoenix, telling Multichannel News that the operator will make the service available to more than 5,000 homes in Phoenix by the end of 2014, with “an aggressive roadmap” to broaden availability of its new “G1GABLAST” offering to 150,000 homes by the end of 2015.

“Service availability will continue to expand throughout Phoenix as well as in existing neighborhoods in parts of Las Vegas and Omaha where gigabit infrastructure is currently being deployed and in new developments in all Cox markets nationwide. In all Cox locations, the company will begin market-wide deployment of gigabit speeds by the end of 2016,” Cox spokesman Todd Smith said via email.

Cox, Smith added, will offer 1-Gig for $99 per month as a stand-alone service. Cox will also sell its new “G1GABLAST” service for $69.99 per month when matched with Cox’s “most popular service bundles.”

Monday’s announcement followed a plan outlined by Cox  earlier this year to launch residential 1-Gig service initially to parts of Phoenix, follow with deployments in Las Vegas and Omaha, and begin market-wide deployment of gigabit speeds by the end of 2016,

Cox didn't reveal a technology roadmap for that plan on Monday (October 6), but Kevin Hart, the MSO’s EVP and CTO, told Multichannel News recently that the company’s 1-Gig service will initially be delivered using a targeted deployment of fiber-to-the-home technologies, and broaden its reach of gigabit services using DOCSIS 3.1 as that technology becomes available.

Cox Communications joined the 1-Gig club Monday with the launch of a new residential service called “G1GABLAST” in Phoenix, where the MSO is selling it for $69.99 per month when combined with the MSO’s “most popular service bundles.”

As Cox announced earlier this year, the MSO will offer the 1-Gig residential service initially to parts of the Phoenix Metropolitan area, and will follow next with deployments in Las Vegas and Omaha. Cox has also pledged to begin market-wide deployment of gigabit speeds by the end of 2016. In Phoenix ahead of Monday's launch, Cox has been touting the coming rollout via a marketing campaign under the banner, “The Gig Life."

Some of Cox’s initial 1-Gig markets, including Omaha and Phoenix, are also being targeted by CenturyLink Communications. Following initial deployments of 1-Gig in parts of Omaha and Salt Lake City, CenturyLink has since begun to offer those speeds in parts of 13 additional markets, including Phoenix.

It was not immediately known how many homes in Phoenix will have access to Cox’s new G1GABLAST offering, and if the operator intends to offer 1-Gig as a stand-alone service.

Update: Cox confirmed Monday afternoon that its stand-alone 1-Gig service in Phoenix will cost $99 per month and shed more light on the number of homes that will have access to the new offering through the end of 2015.

Cox has set up a Web site where customers in Phoenix can check for service availability and sign up for the new G1GABLAST service.

In a recent interview with Multichannel News about Cox’s 1-Gig plan, Kevin Hart, the MSO’s EVP and CTO, said Cox intends to start off with targeted use of fiber-to-the-premises technology and branch out to the rest of the market using DOCSIS 3.1 when the new platform is ready to go. CableLabs is expected to kick off D3.1 interops and “plug-fests” later this year, and to start official certification and qualification testing on D3.1 gear by mid-2015.

Hart said Cox, which began the 1-Gig preregistration process in July, will initially feature FTTH in greenfield areas, including new multiple dwelling units and other new housing developments, as well as “some overbuild for existing neighborhoods.” He said multiple factors are helping Cox to determine its 1-Gig build curve. The full Q&A with Hart is available here.

“We are excited to deliver the choice of gigabit speeds to our customers,” Cox president Pat Esser  said in a statement issued on Monday (October 6). “Coupled with our 2,300 employees in the Phoenix Metropolitan area and more than 20,000 nationwide, our latest investments and the deployment of the fastest speeds available are powering economic growth and development for businesses and residents of the communities we serve.”

Cox is also in the process of rolling out free upgrades that double the max downstream speeds of the MSO’s two most popular DOCSIS 3.0-powered broadband tiers, with Cox Preferred rising from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps, and Premiere jumping from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. More than 70% of Cox’s residential broadband customers take one of those two broadband service tiers. Cox expects to complete those upgrades in all markets by the end of the year.