The telecom industry is about to spend a fortune upgrading its broadband networks so that they can deliver crazy-fast, multi-gigabit speeds, symmetrically across downstream and upstream channels.

But nearly five years after Comcast completed its national rollout of 1 gigabit-per-second internet service, only 15.4% of U.S. broadband homes subscribe to even a 1-gig service.

The latest report from OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVI) reveals that gig-speed uptake is accelerating -- 1 Gbps subscribers represented only 11.4% of homes in the third quarter of 2021.

But the vast majority of the market seems to be successfully streaming Netflix, conducting online learning and quitting Twitter using more pedestrian 200 Mbps - 400 Mbps speeds (see OVI chart below).

Is demand for a near-term "10G" future really a thing?

Armed with case studies of future usage paradigms requiring ultra-fast speeds and super-low latency -- think remote surgery -- cable companies and other telecoms insist the massive infrastructure investment remains vitally necessary.

So how much are we talking about?

On Tuesday, Elad Nafshi, executive VP and chief network officer for Comcast Cable, surprised investors at the RBC Capital Markets Global Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Conference when he said the "mid-split" required to deliver symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds on Comcast's current DOCSIS 3.1 hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC) network would cost less than $200 per home passed.

The investment, Nafshi said, is "not all incremental, because in many ways we would need to make that investment for capacity augmentations, anyway."

Comcast said earlier that it would start introducing multi-gig symmetrical speeds to its customers in 2023, completing its rollout to 50 million homes by 2025.

According to "back of the napkin math" performed by Light Reading, Nafshi's declaration means that passing 50 million homes with multi-gig services will cost Comcast less than $10 billion -- a bargain, given that full fiber-to-the-home delivery would run $1,000 per home passed ($50 billion total).

The move, however, would only "lay the groundwork," Light Reading said, for upgrades to a next-generation "10G" standard like Full Duplex DOCSIS 4.0 -- at a cost that would run tens of billions more.

Usage Continues to Spike

OVI's third-quarter 2022 "Broadband Insights" report does show broadband usage demands in the U.S. continue to increase at a rapid clip. The average subscribing home used 495.5 gigabytes of data in the third quarter vs. 434.9 GB a year ago.

Meanwhile, the number of "power users" -- subscribing households that consume 1 terabyte of data each month or more -- keeps increasing, particularly for those with flat-rate service plans.

According to OVI, 14.6% of flat-rate-billed homes now fall under the power user definition. In fact, 2.3% of this cohort used 2 TB or more in the third quarter.

Charter Communications announced last week that it has launched Spectrum Internet Gig, a broadband service powered by DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades, to markets covering more than 4 million homes.

The latest batch of launches include more than a dozen new markets, including Cleveland; Erie, Pa.; Springfield, Mass.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Hartford, Conn.; Charleston, S.C.; Orlando, Fla.; and Toledo, Ohio.

Those launches follow an expansion of D3.1 to 14 million more homes announced in April.

With the last round of rollouts factored in, Charter estimates that Spectrum Internet Gig is now offered to more than 27 million homes, putting it more than halfway toward its goal of making the service available to its 41-state footprint.

Charter said it’s on track to offer 1-Gig service to virtually all of that footprint by year-end 2018.

In the early going, Charter has been selling the new data cap-free offering, which pairs a downstream that maxes at 1 Gbps with an upstream up to 35 Mbps, for $104.99 per month to new customers. In markets such as Oahu, Charter has been offering it to existing customers with TV service for $114.99 per month, and $124.99 per month without the TV service bundle.

In some D3.1-enabled markets, Charter has also been doubling its minimum downstream internet speeds (to 100 Mbps or 200 Mbps, depending on the market) at no added cost.

Charter ended Q1 2018 with 22.87 million residential broadband subscribers. About 25% of that customer base was getting minimum downstream speeds of 200 Mbps by the end of that period. 

Blue Ridge Communications said it has completed a 12-month project to bring 1-Gig speeds (in the downstream direction) across its service footprint.

Blue Ridge brands its 1-Gig residential service as Dream Gig (the tier delivers up to 1 Gbps downstream, and up to 40 Mbps in the upstream).

For the consumer premises equipment piece of the 1-Gig service, Blue Ridge confirmed that it using Technicolor’s TC4400 DOCSIS 3.1 modem and Arris’s TM3402 eMTA, a DOCSIS 3.1 device with a modem and two voice ports. Blue Ridge also offers a premium whole-home WiFi product, called HomeFi, in partnership with eero.

Per pricing details on the Blue Ridge web site, the MSO offers the standalone version of the 1-Gig tier for $144.95 per month, and discounts when it is bundled with pay TV -- $129.95 per month for subs on Blue Ridge’s Basic+ service, and $135.95 per month on its Broadcast Basic TV offering.

Blue Ridge’s Dream Gig tier has a monthly data allowance of 2 Terabytes. If that limit is exceeded, subs are charged $10 per bucket of 50 gigabytes of data.

Blue Ridge serves parts of northeastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Charter Communications announced that it has expanded the rollout of DOCSIS 3.1 and 1-Gig (downstream) broadband speeds to an additional 14 million homes in cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Milwaukee.

The additions extend the reach of Charter’s D3.1 rollout and Spectrum Internet Gig service to about 23 million homes.

Charter plans to offer gigabit service to virtually all of its full 41-state footprint by the end of 2018.

Charter first introduced Spectrum Internet Gig to customers in Oahu, then added Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Honolulu; Kansas City, Mo; New York City; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and San Antonio by the end of 2017.

RELATED: Charter Rolls DOCSIS 3.1 to Seven More Markets

In that early phase of the launch, Charter has been offering the new data cap-free offering, which pairs a downstream that maxes at 1 Gbps with an upstream up to 35 Mbps, for $104.99 per month to new customers. In markets such as Oahu, Charter has been offering it to existing customers with TV service for $114.99 per month, and $124.99 per month without the TV service bundle.

In D3.1-enabled markets, Charter has also been doubling its minimum downstream internet speeds (to 100 Mbps or 200 Mbps, depending on the market) at no added cost.

Charter ended 2017 with 49.82 million internet homes passed, and 22.54 million residential high-speed internet customers. Charter is scheduled to release Q1 2018 results on Friday morning (April 27).

“Spectrum’s state-of-the-art, fiber-rich network allows us to deploy dramatically faster broadband speeds, including gigabit connections, broadly and rapidly,” Tom Rutledge, Charter’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “As consumer demands for bandwidth and capacity grow, our world-class network is best-positioned to meet these demands, today and into the future.”

Charter also released this video about its deployment:

Cable One said it is laying the groundwork for 1 Gig speeds in NewWave Communications systems acquired last year that added about 214,000 residential primary service units, a unit that includes video, voice and broadband, to its base.

RELATED: Cable One to Buy NewWave for $735M

To get ready for the 1-Gig launch, Cable One said it is in the process of supporting 32-channel bonding in the NewWave markets, which parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Cable One said it plans to invest up to $60 million over three years on network upgrades and other enhancements in the NewWave markets.

About 95% of Cable One’s legacy footprint has access to its GigaONE service, which uses DOCSIS 3.0 technology. Cable One has been selling that service, which pairs a downstream of up to 1 Gbps with a 50 Mbps upstream capability, for $175 per month.

RELATED: Cable One Touts Gigabit Deployment Milestone

Cable One didn’t announce a specific timetable for 1-Gig launches in the NewWave systems, but said it has already been doubling available speeds in the majority of those markets, offering downstream speeds up to 200 Mbps.

“As customers continue to stream, download, and connect across multiple devices in their homes, we know that speed is key in satisfying this growing demand,” Julie Seff, vice president of residential services for Cable One, said in a statement. “Doubling speeds as well as launching Gigabit service will create more customer value and provide a superior high-speed internet experience for our customers.”

Cable One said its GigaONE service is now available to residential customers across more than 95% of its legacy footprint, a move that extends the offering to more than 200 communities.

Cable One has been leaning on DOCSIS 3.0 technology (including D3.0 modems that can bond up to 32 downstream channels) to deliver up to 1 Gbps down and up to 50 Mbps in the upstream direction, and has been selling GigaONE for $175 per month.

Cable One currently applies a 1.5 terabyte data plan to its GigaONE offering. Per that Acceptable Use Policy, customers who exceed that limit three times may be required to upgrade to a different plan. For businesses, Cable One also offers fiber-based services that can deliver up to 10 Gbps of symmetrical data.

At the end of Q3, Cable One had 471,537 data subs on its legacy footprint, which reaches 1.68 million homes passed. Cable One added networks passing an additional 450,000 homes in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas via its acquisition of NewWave Communications.

Cable One said it has invested more than $700 million over the past five years on network upgrades and enhancements. 

“In an effort to eliminate the digital divide in the communities we serve, we envisioned providing every customer in our footprint with access to Gigabit service, no matter where they live,” Julie Laulis, Cable One’s president and CEO said in a statement. “We are proud to say we are very close to reaching that goal in our legacy markets and we are thrilled to support the technology needs of the communities we serve – now and in the future.”

Charter Communications confirmed that it has launched DOCSIS 3.1 and its new Spectrum Internet Gig offering to seven more markets.

Charter, which launched D3.1 in Oahu a few weeks ago, said it has extended access to more than 8.8 million consumers in systems serving Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Honolulu; Kansas City, Mo; New York City; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and San Antonio. Notably, that group includes several markets with a Google Fiber presence.

RELATED: Charter Launches 1-Gig in Oahu for $104.99/Month

DSL Reports reported on Charter’s D3.1 expansion earlier this week.

Charter said it will launch D3.1 to more markets in 2018.

Charter’s new cap-free offering, which pairs a downstream that maxes at 1 Gbps with an upstream up to 35 Mbps, is priced at $104.99 per month to new customers. Charter confirmed in the Oahu launch that pricing on it for existing customers with TV service is $114.99 per month, and $124.99 per month without the TV service bundle. Service also comes with a modem with integrated WiFi and a 30-day money back guarantee, the company said then.

In those D3.1-enabled markets, Charter is also doubling minimum downstream internet speed  – from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps at no added cost. That minimum speed tier comes with a 10 Mbps upstream.

“Charter’s state-of-the-art, fiber-rich network is superior in its ability to deliver fast and reliable internet to millions of consumers across the country,” Tom Rutledge, Charter’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “As technology continues to evolve, the products and services of tomorrow will increasingly rely on faster broadband connections. Charter’s world-class network is best-positioned to deliver the bandwidth and capacity needed to meet these growing demands.”

Charter Communications has officially entered the DOCSIS 3.1 era with the launch of a 1 Gbps (downstream) residential broadband service in Oahu called Spectrum Internet Gig. 

The new service, which is free of data caps and contracts, is priced at $104.99 for new customers, and is paired with an upstream that maxes out at 35 Mbps. Pricing for existing customers with TV service is $114.99 per month, and $124.99 per month without the TV service bundle. Service also comes with a modem with integrated WiFi and a 30-day money back guarantee, the company said.

Tied in, Charter has also doubled the minimum downstream internet speed offered in Oahu – from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps. That minimum speed tier comes with a 10 Mbps upstream.

UPDATE: “Customers today enjoy a flagship broadband speed that is 20 times faster than it was eight years ago, while the price per Mbps for customers has decreased 93%,” Tamara Smith, VP of policy communications at Charter, wrote in this blog post. She added that investment in more efficient bandwidth management and advanced compression technologies have enabled Charter to increase its broadband speeds.

Charter is expected to launch Spectrum Internet Gig in other markets soon. Other MSOs that haven been aggressive with D3.1 include Comcast, Mediacom Communications, RCN, and WideOpenWest, among others.

RELATED: CableLabs Stamps Another Batch of DOCSIS 3.1 Devices 

In October, Charter president and CEO Tom Rutledge said the MSO planned to launch 1-Gig service via D3.1 “in several key markets” over the next couple of months, and that the company would eventually buy D3.1 modems exclusively (the initial wave of D3.1 models are hybrids that can tap into spectrum for DOCSIS 3.1 and DOCSIS 3.0 services).

“Charter’s state-of-the-art, fiber-rich network is superior in its ability to deliver fast and reliable internet to millions of consumers across the country,” Rutledge said in a statement. “As technology continues to evolve, the products and services of tomorrow will increasingly rely on faster broadband connections. Charter’s world-class network is best-positioned to deliver the bandwidth and capacity needed to meet these growing demands.”

Charter hasn’t announced where it will deploy D3.1 services next. However, the company does expect to raise the minimum speeds available to 100 Mbps to most of its footprint by the end of the year.

Google Fiber this week has opened up sign-ups in two initial areas in San Antonio and is kicking things off with a discounted price on its flagship 1 Gbps broadband service.

In San Antonio, Google Fiber is selling uncapped 1-Gig for $55 per month, versus $70 per month in other Fiber markets.

Among other tweaks, Google Fiber isn’t offering an IPTV service it’s been selling in several of its other markets, opting instead for an option for customers to add YouTube TV, Google’s relatively new OTT-delivered pay TV service, plus an Nvidia Shield TV streaming box/gaming console. In San Antonio, Google Fiber is also pitching in one of its own WiFi routers.

RELATED: Google Fiber Won't Put TV on the Menu in Two New Markets

Google Fiber will keep the first two neighborhoods open for sign-ups until December 21, according to a blog post from Tyler Wallis, Google’s Fiber’s San Antonio city manager.

RELATED: Capex for Alphabet’s ‘Other Bets’ Falls Off a Cliff

Mediacom Communications said it has launched DOCSIS 3.1 and 1 Gbps (downstream) broadband service to parts of Delaware, Maryland and Michigan.

That expansion covers 27 more communities, including 19 in Delaware’s Sussex County, and others in southeastern Maryland and southwestern Michigan.

Mediacom upgraded its HFC network to D3.1 last year, and has been launching service with the technology in various parts of its footprint, including portions of Missouri, Kansas, northern Indiana; Illinois; Georgia; Minnesota; Huntsville, Ala.; southern Tennessee, and Iowa, and, of recent note, to its Gulf Coast markets.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Mediacom said it now offers 1-Gig service to more than 1,250 communities, with the latest round factored in. It’s also rolling out a new 500 Mbps tier in its new 1-Gig markets.

Mediacom has been selling a 1-Gig (downstream) service, paired with upstream speeds up to 50 Mbps, at $139.99 per month as a standalone, with a “promotional package offers” that will arrive at a later date. Mediacom’s DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig offering comes with a monthly data limit of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage).

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Google Fiber may have hit the pause button on an ambitious market expansion plan as it concentrates on current deployments and wireless alternatives, but it claims to be gaining ground with respect to multi-dwelling units in its existing footprint.

Google Fiber this week announced that it has activated service to more than 3,000 apartment and condo communities in its existing Fiber cities, along with another 300 “Community Connections,” an internet-only service that’s offered in partnership with local nonprofit organizations.

RELATED: Cathy Fogler Joins Google Access

Regarding the MDU-focused strategy, “[i]t’s a collaborative effort -- working with each property, we identify the best way to serve their residents from the beginning of construction to installation and our ongoing service,” Lee Bienstock, head of partnerships at Google Fiber, noted in this blog post.

RELATED: Google Fiber’s Webpass Sets Seattle Service Launch

Bienstock also announced that Google Fiber has expanded our its commitment to become a technology partner by launching the Google Hardware Program, a connected home inititiatve that provides properties with preferred pricing on company products such as Google Home and Nest Thermostats.

Grande Communications said it has launched 1 Gbps broadband in San Antonio, a debut that wraps up the operator’s deployment of gigabit services in the operator’s Texas-area footprint. 

Grande said the latest deployment utilizes DOCSIS 3.1 technology on its HFC plant in San Antonio, complementing 1-Gig service it also offers there on its FTTH network.

Grande said residential pricing for 1-Gbps service starts at $69.99 per month. In addition to San Antonio, Grande also serves Austin, Dallas, San Marcos, Waco, Temple, Corpus Christi, Midland and Odessa.

Comcast broadened the commercial launch of DOCSIS 3.1 services with debuts in its hometown of Philadelphia and Baltimore.

The launch in greater Philadelphia also includes surrounding areas of Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and  Delaware counties, as well as parts of New Jersey and in New Castle County. In addition to the city of Baltimore, Comcast’s D3.1 rollout there also covers Baltimore county, Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Hartford County and Howard County.

Comcast noted that D3.1-based services will be launched in other parts of greater Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware in the coming weeks.

Comcast is selling a D3.1-powered service that delivers up to 1 Gbps downstream in Philadelphia and Baltimore for the promotional price of $79.99 per month with a 12-month contract, or $104.95 per month without a contract.

Comcast, which recently launched a home WiFi management platform called ‘xFi,’ leaned on standalone D3.1 modems for the early phases of its deployment, but has also been starting to deploy its new xFi Advanced Wireless Gateway (formerly known as the XB6).

RELATED: Comcast Tacks On xFi Features

Comcast has recently introduced DOCSIS 3.1-based gigabit internet service in several other systems, including Boston, Colorado and Oregon; Kansas City; Houston; Seattle, southwest Washington, San Francisco and most of the Bay Area in California.

RELATED: Comcast Boots Up DOCSIS 3.1 in Boston

Other Comcast D3.1 market launches include Utah; Detroit, Mich.; Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Indiana; Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chicago; Atlanta; and Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Miami, Fla.

Comcast markets on tap for D3.1 include Washington, DC; Charlottesville, Va.; and Harrisburg and Lancaster, Pa.

Several other U.S. cable operators have been deploying DOCSIS 3.1 aggressively, including Mediacom Communications, RCN Corp, and WideOpenWest. Cox Communications is also gearing up to deploy DOCSIS 3.1 on a broad basis.

Comcast has also rolled out “Gigabit Pro,” a more expensive symmetrical 2 Gbps service that uses fiber-to-the-premises technologies, in most of the MSO’s markets.

When it comes to broadband, Mediacom Communications is keeping the pedal to the metal.

The MSO announced Wednesday that it has deployed 1-Gig service in more than 1,000 U.S. communities following launches in Missouri and Kansas that span 82 communities and 253,000 homes and businesses passed.

It marks the latest step in Mediacom’s ambitious rollout of DOCSIS 3.1, a multi-gigabit platform that delivers multi-gig speeds over HFC networks, and complements its fiber-fed service for business customers.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Mediacom upgraded its HFC network to D3.1 last year, and has also launched 1-Gig service in several other parts of its footprint, including northern Indiana; Illinois; Georgia; Minnesota; Huntsville, Ala.; southern Tennessee, and Iowa.

Early on, Mediacom has been selling a 1-Gig (downstream) service, paired with upstream speeds up to 50 Mbps, at $139.99 per month as a standalone, with a “promotional package offers” that will also be announced at a later date.  Mediacom’s DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig offering comes with a monthly data limit of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage). Mediacom has also been introducing a new 500 Mbps tier in its D3.1 markets.

RELATED: Mediacom Brings 1-Gig to Northern Indiana

“Since 1996, Mediacom has invested over $8 billion of private capital to acquire, upgrade and expand our national broadband network so that hard-working families throughout the smaller markets we serve receive the same advanced communications services as America’s largest cities,” Steve Purcell, group VP for Mediacom’s Capital Region, said in a statement. “As a result of these investments, we are extremely proud to be adding dozens of cities and towns that we serve in Missouri and Kansas to Mediacom’s rapidly expanding list of true gigabit communities.” 

Mediacom said Springfield Mayor Ken McClure was on hand to tour the MSO’s regional technology hub and issue a congratulatory proclamation citing his city’s status as Mediacom’s 1,000th community to become a “Gigabit City.”

“Springfield residents, like consumers elsewhere, rely on more connected-devices and have seen their internet data consumption grow by as much as thirty-five to fifty percent per year,” the proclamation stated.

AT&T Fiber said it has launched 1-Gig service to parts of Tulsa, Okla., and surrounding areas that include Jenk and Owasso.

Tulsa adds to the 55 metro areas and 5.5 million “locations” where AT&T Fiber has been deployed. AT&T Fiber expects to expand to 75 metros.

RELATED: AT&T Expands Fiber to 17 More Metros

In Tulsa, AT&T is offering 1-Gig for $70 per month when bundled with other AT&T services, such as DirecTV or U-verse TV, on a single bill, or $80 per month as a standalone for 12 months, after which the price goes up to $90 per month.

Altice USA said it has launched 1 Gbps broadband service to four more Suddenlink markets:  Batesville and El Dorado, Ark.; Maryville, Mo; and Conroe, Texas.

In addition to launching 1-Gig service there, broadband subs in those markets will also see speeds of certain other tiers rise. Those who have been getting downstream speeds up to 75 Mbps and  100 Mbps, will be automatically upgraded to speeds up to 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps, respectively.

Currently, the standard Suddenlink residential internet download speeds in each region are now up to 50, 100, 200, and 400 Mbps, along with the new up to 1 Gbps.

Altice acquired Suddenlink Communications in December 2015, and has been moving forward on a 1-Gig initiative announced by Suddenlink in 2014 that focused on DOCSIS 3.0 technology on its HFC plant. Altice USA is also pushing ahead with a major FTTP upgrade.

RELATED: Suddenlink Unveils ‘Operation GigaSpeed’

“Today’s announcement is the next step in Altice USA’s Operation GigaSpeed initiative to provide gigabit broadband service to our Suddenlink customers,” Altice USA co-president and COO Hakim Boubazine said in a statement.  “We are pleased that Suddenlink’s ultra-fast gigabit service is now available in all of the neighborhoods and to all of the households and businesses we serve throughout these four new ‘Gig Cities’.”

Boubazine noted that local businesses will also have access to the new gigabit service, along with customized services that deliver multi-gigabit speeds.

WOW is broadening its 1-Gig horizons as it extends the reach of DOCSIS 3.1-powered services in a handful of markets. 

Here’s the rundown:

-Edge-out expansions to communities in North Ridgeville (13,000 homes passed) and Parma Heights (8,200 homes passed), Ohio.

-The completion of a 1-Gig deployment to about 1,100 customers in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.

-An expansion of 1-Gig service in Huntsville, Ala., where the offering is now available to 30,000 customers, about double the number it was available to when service was introduced there in October 2016.

RELATED: WOW!: We’ll Stay Cap Free

Last fall, WOW began to offer 1 Gbps (downstream) broadband service initially in four markets – Auburn and Huntsville, Ala., and Evansville, Ind.; and Knoxville, Tenn. It has been selling 1-Gig as a standalone (and uncapped) residential service for $70 per month, so long as customers agree to a two-year contract.

RELATED: WOW Raises $310M in IPO

Comcast kept its foot on the gas with respect to DOCSIS 3.1 by announcing the introduction of a new 1-Gig (downstream) service in Boston, and plans to deploy it “soon” in several other Comcast markets in the northeast.

Others on deck to get the D3.1-based offering in the coming weeks include Comcast’s hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Washington, DC; Baltimore; Charlottesville, Va.; and Harrisburg and Lancaster, Pa. Additional areas in the region will be getting the service this fall, Comcast said.

In those markets, Comcast’s regular price for residential 1-Gig is $104.95 a month, without a term contract, alongside a promotional price of $79.99 a month if subs agree to a 12-month contract.

Comcast has recently introduced DOCSIS 3.1-based gigabit internet service in several of its systems, including all of Colorado and Oregon; Kansas City; Houston; Seattle, southwest Washington, San Francisco and most of the Bay Area in California.

RELATED: Comcast Lights Up DOCSIS 3.1 in More Markets

Other Comcast D3.1 market launches include Utah; Detroit, Mich.; Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Indiana; Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chicago; Atlanta; and Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Miami, Fla.

Comcast markets that are on tap for D3.1-based services include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, and New Jersey. 

Comcast has also rolled out “Gigabit Pro,” a more expensive symmetrical 2 Gbps service that uses fiber-to-the-premises technologies, in most of the MSO’s markets.

Australian government-backed National Broadband Network (nbn) said its lab tests of DOCSIS 3.1 technology have produced downstream speeds of about 1 Gbps and upstream speeds of 100 Mbps, more than double the 40 Mbps its retail partners are offering via the HFC portion of the nbn network.

RELATED: Australia’s nbn Joins CableLabs

Those lab trials were conducted in Melbourne (on HFC plant acquired from Telstra), and indicate that gigabit speeds are “around the corner” for eligible homes and businesses in other markets, including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast, nbn said.

Nbn said it plans to conduct more D3.1 lab tests in August and shift to field trials in December, with a “potential commercial launch” of D3.1 services in 2018.

"These early tests of DOCSIS 3.1 technology are very exciting,” Bill Morrow, nbn’s CEO, said in a statement. “This is another example of the continued efforts of the nbn team to innovate and plan for Australia's growing demands for data. DOCSIS 3.1 is going to be able to provide fantastic gigabit potential for end users – just as our Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network does today.”

Nbn’s current goal is to provide universal high-speed broadband to 8 million homes and businesses by 2020 using a mix of access technologies, including HFC, fixed wireless, satellite, fiber-to-the-node, and fiber-to-the-premises. Arris is a key player for the HFC portion of nbn’s upgrade plan.

Under the most recent corporate plan, the “base case” is to have 17% of the nbn network use FTTP, 51% to use a mix of fiber-to-the-node/basement/distribution point, 24% HFC, and 8% fixed wireless and satellite.

RELATED: nbn Lowers HFC Goals

In May, nbn said about 5 million homes and businesses could connect to retail services via its network, noting that, on average, it was activating about 250,000 premises per month so far in 2017. About 2.2 million premises can currently connect to retail services over the nbn network.

Some 219 million people worldwide have 1-Gig speeds available to them, or about 3% of the globe’s population, Viavi Solutions estimated in its latest Gigabit Monitor, a database that tracks those deployments.

In all, there are about 603 gigabit internet deployments, up 72% since June 2019, Viavi found.

RELATED: North America Leads Gigabit Deployments: Study

Not much has changed since then with respect to regions that are seeing the greatest rate of 1-Gig deployment growth.

In the May 2017 iteration of the report, North America achieved the highest growth rate, at 57%.

The composition of deployments using FTTP worldwide led all architectures by a wide margin, at 91.01%, followed by HFC networks (5.26%), Viavi said, noting that cellular, at 3.65% now, will rise as operators start to test and deploy 5G-based 1-gig fixed wireless services. Viavi said 25 mobile operators are currently lab-testing 5G, with about a dozen progressing to field trials.

RELATED: Verizon Exec: ‘Meaningful’ 5G Deployments to Start in 2018

The study also found that there are 41 countries with gigabit internet service available in some form, with Singapore (95%) being the country with the highest percentage of the population covered, followed by South Korea (93%), Moldova (90%), and Portugal (64%).

Viavi updates the monitor regularly, basing it on its analysis of current and planned gigabit deployment data. The latest version also factors in population coverage estimates.

Sonic is expanding the reach of its FTTP network in the tech-savvy city of San Francisco and broadening its offer of an uncapped 1 Gbps broadband/phone bundle that is priced at $40 for the first 12 months.

Under the expansion, Sonic’s bundle, which rises to $50 after the first year, is being is launching in the southern portion of The Mission District, and reach into Noe Valley, The Castro, Dolores Heights, Glen Park and Potrero Hill and Sunnyside in the coming months. That will expand on earlier launches in region’s Sunset District, Richmond District and Parkside.

The expansion marks the second phase of Sonic’s project in San Francisco, company CEO Dane Jasper said, noting that the company focused on areas where it has seen the most interest for the FTTP-fueled offering.

RELATED: Sonic.net Preps $40 1-Gig/Voice Bundle

“It’s a pretty aggressive and exciting product,” he said.

Sonic isn’t disclosing sub numbers or penetration rates for San Francisco, but Jasper said “demand is strong” there. Overall, the company has seen 25% growth overall (and has seen its base of installers grow by more than 300% over the past year), driven primarily by Sonic’s fiber product.

RELATED: Sonic.net CEO: Tiered Pricing 'Doesn't Make Sense'

Sonic will start to activate service in parts of the new build-out phase this week. Customers can also pre-order service in areas where construction isn’t complete. Jasper expects to complete the next phase of the build-out, which uses GPON technology, by March 2018.

“It’s a rolling deployment,” he said, holding that San Francisco has long been one of the nation’s “poorly connected large cities” amid deployment challenges and incumbent MSOs that don’t feel enough competitive pressure.

For its part, Comcast does offer its relatively pricey 2 Gbps “Gigabit Pro” FTTP service on a targeted basis in the San Francisco market, but has not announced when it will offer 1 Gbps using DOCSIS 3.1 there.

On the regulatory side, Jasper disagrees with those that believe that the regulatory framework of the 1996 Telecom Act haven’t’ worked with respect to deployment, at least in Sonic’s case.

“Sonic  is the embodiment of the vision of the 1996 Act,” he said, noting that his company started as an ISP, became a CLEC and deployed into central offices, and is now building its own outside plant.

“That investment ladder, that movement up the food chain, from resale to inside plant facilities to outside plant facilities, is exactly the kind of innovation and deployment that, in my opinion, the 1996 Act enabled,” Jasper said, noting that the example runs counter to comments related to the current Open Internet proceeding.

RELATED: FCC's Pai Launches Effort to Repeal Title II

“As we accumulate enough customers in an area, like the Mission District in San Francisco, we overbuild with fiber,” he said.

Sonic is also considering this in other cities in California, though it’s not announcing where it intends to build next.

“This is not one and done,” Jasper said of the San Francisco buildout expansion. “This is an ongoing process.”

Mediacom Communications said it has launched 1-Gig service across its Georgia network footprint, with the DOCSIS 3.1-based offering now available to about 275,000 homes passed there.

The rollout follows similar, recent launches in parts of Minnesota; Huntsville, Ala; portions of southern Tennessee, and Mediacom's network footprint in Iowa.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Mediacom upgraded its network to D3.1 last year and is now in the process of launching services that take advantage of the multi-gig-capable platform for HFC networks and eventually reach 3 million homes and businesses in its 22 state footprint.

Mediacom said it has launched 1-Gig to more than 600 communities and will add more throughout the year as more D3.1 modems become available.

In its initial D3.1 launch markets, Mediacom has been selling a 1-Gig (downstream) service, paired with upstream speeds up to 50 Mbps, at $139.99 per month as a standalone, with a “promotional package offers” that will also be announced at a later date.  Mediacom’s DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig offering comes with a monthly data limit of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage).

Mediacom has also been launching a new 500 Mbps tier of service where it’s introducing the 1-Gig product.

“Today, we live in a world that is driven by technology,” said State Representative Ed Rynders, Chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee in the Georgia General Assembly, in a statement. “Speed matters in our global economy, and the investments Mediacom has made to make ultra-fast broadband available to more than a quarter million homes in southwest Georgia provides a huge economic advantage to our citizens.” 

Mediacom Communications said it has begun to rollout 1-Gig broadband using DOCSIS 3.1 in Minnesota, and has identified more than 80 cities and towns that will be part of the first wave.

The deployment in Minnesota follows Mediacom’s announcement late last year that it would upgrade its network to D3.1 by the end of 2016.  The MSO has launched D3.1-based services in several markets already, including Huntsville, Ala., parts of southern Tennessee, and in its service footprint in Iowa.

RELATED: DOCSIS 3.1 Grappling with Gateway Gap

Areas included in the first wave of the rollout in April include Blue Earth County, Brown County, Carlton County, Carver County, Faribault County, Hennepin County, Itasca County, Lake County, Le Sueur County, Lincoln County, McLeod County, Meeker County, Murray County, Nicollet County, Nobles County, Pine County, Pipestone County, Redwood County, Renville County, Rice County, Scott County, Sibley County, St. Louis County, Waseca County, Watonwan County, Wright County.

Mediacom said it plans to launch 1-Gig to181 communities in Minnesota by spring/early summer 2017. The operator’s network passes 225,885 homes in the state.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

“Since 1996, Mediacom has invested over $8 billion of private capital in its national network to ensure that hard-working families throughout the smaller markets we serve in the Gopher State and beyond receive the same advanced communications services as America’s largest cities,”  Bill Jensen, group VP for Mediacom’s Lakes Region, said in a statement. “As a result of these investments, we are extremely proud to be adding the cities and towns we serve across Minnesota to Mediacom’s rapidly expanding list of true gigabit communities.” 

In its initial D3.1 launch markets, Mediacom has been selling a 1-Gig (downstream) service, paired with upstream speeds up to 50 Mbps, at $139.99 per month as a standalone, with a “promotional package offers” that will also be announced at a later date.  

Mediacom’s DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig offering comes with a monthly data limit of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage). 

Milo Medin and Dennis Kish, two top execs at Alphabet Access unit, are leaving the division but will be staying on at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in different roles, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Milo Medin has been serving as vice president of Access, and Dennis Kish, a former Qualcomm exec, as president of Google Fiber. Earlier this week, Medin was one of 29 members named to the FCC’s new Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, which plans to hold its first meeting April 21.

Google has been asked for further comment, but Bloomberg said an Access official confirmed the changes.

Update:A person familiar with the situation confirmed Friday that Medin and Kish are leaving Alphabet's Access division. 

Bloomberg said word of the changes involvign Medin and Kish were announced at a meeting on Thursday by Gregory McCray, who was named CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, which includes Google Fiber, in February. McCray succeeded Craig Barratt, who resigned that post last fall and was recently named CEO of a Google-backed programmable Ethernet switch chip startup called Barefoot Networks.

RELATED: Google Fiber Taps New Leader  Amid Restructuring 

The reported changes at Access come amid significant changes at Google Fiber, including a decision to hit the pause button in targeted expansion markets as it continues to sign up customers in existing markets, and as the unit pursues less expensive wireless technology options following itsacquisition of Webpass.

RELATED: Google Fiber's Webpass Debuts in Denver 

Google Fiber has also pulled back a bit in some of its existing markets as it weighs its technology options, as the company recently issued refunds to some people in Kansas City who had signed up to get service after the company decided not to expand to their neighborhoods, at least for now.

RELATED: Google Fiber Ended 2016 With 84,232 Pay TV Subs: Study

“In order to focus our efforts and resources, we’ll be slowing construction in some areas until we can layer in the new deployment models we’re developing,” Google Fibertold The Kansas City Star, adding that it is looking to add customers in areas such as Raymore and central Overland Park. 

Comcast has teamed up with corporate cousin Universal Pictures to tout 1-Gig broadband alongside The Fate of the Furious, the latest film from the Fast & Furious franchise, that’s hitting theaters April 14.

The promo centers on a pair of Comcast customers who are under the pretext that they are getting a sneak peek of the new film in a drive-in cinema that turns out to get a drive-out cinema. The wild ride and bleeped-out moments that ensue can be seen below:

Comcast and Universal put it all together ahead of the film premiere, and as the operator continues to expand the reach of gigabit speeds delivered using DOCSIS 3.1.

RELATED: Comcast Sets DOCSIS 3.1 Expansion, Launches 1-Gig in Detroit

"Fast and Furious and Gigabit Internet are all about blistering, excessive speed. This provided the perfect partnership opportunity to create the most extreme entertainment experience," Sherri Davis, Xfinity's senior director of brand experience, said in a release about the promo. "Rather than trying to explain how fast Gig-speed is, we showed it, capturing two lucky customers on the most fast-and-furious ride of their lives.”

DENVER – The early reviews of DOCSIS 3.1 are in, with engineers with some of the top MSOs in North America reporting that the technology is performing better than expected.

But if there’s one near-term issue they are all grappling with is getting access to integrated DOCSIS 3.1-based gateways that enable the in-home network to match the speeds that are entering the home from the network and eliminating those potential bottlenecks.

The availability of DOCSIS 3.1 gateways is a “little behind” where Mediacom Communications would like it to be, JR Walden, SVP of technology and CTO of Mediacom, said here at Light Reading’s Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference.

In fact, in-home WiFi testing is becoming a major focus for DOCSIS 3.1 rollouts, added Cyrille Morelle, president and CEO of test and measurement firm VeEX.

“Having a very powerful WiFi device is critical” for DOCSIS 3.1, agreed Damian Poltz, VP of technology strategy and networks at Shaw Communications.

Comcast is trying to address this with the XB6, a full-featured DOCSIS 3.1 gateway that will also integrate speedy WiFi, ZigBee and other connectivity technologies.

For its initial D3.1 deployments, Comcast has been pairing stand-alone modems with a separate gateway to serve “thousands of customers.”

While acknowledging that such a set-up is not ideal, Jorge Salinger, VP of access architecture at Comcast, confirmed that Comcast is building versions of the XB6 that use Broadcom and Intel chipsets. He said Comcast is completing employee trials shifting toward customer trials and on to commercial deployments, which are expected to begin in the next month or so.

RELATED: Comcast Taps Arris, Technicolor for ‘XB6’ Gateways: Sources

Vendors such as Hitron Technologies are building and developing DOCSIS 3.1-based gateways and network extenders to help bridge that gap. Hitron, said company CTO Greg Fisher, has about 30 D3.1 gateway trials underway around the world.

RELATED: Rogers Rolling Out Hitron’s DOCSIS 3.1 Gateway

Short-term gateway issues aside, MSOs are pleased with the performance they’ve seen from DOCSIS 3.1 in the early going.

DOCSIS 3.1 is working “really well” regardless of now clean the HFC plant is or the size of the node sizes that are serving customers. “It [DOCSIS 3.1] works better than 3.0 in noisy plant,” said Walden. Mediacom has already upgraded its entire HFC network to support DOCSIS 3.1 and is in the process of deploying D3.1-based broadband services.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Walden said the economics of D3.1 has been a major driver for Mediacom after it analyzed assumed broadband capacity demand and how much it would cost to stay with DOCSIS 3.0 to keep up with it, or start to shift to D3.1. (DOCSIS 3.1 modems are hybrids in the sense that they can support both D3.0 and D3.1-based traffic.)

He said Mediacom expects to get better economics for all tiers of service, not just billboard 1-Gig services.

Mediacom isn’t pinpointing how many subscribers are taking the MSO’s fastest offered speed tier, but Walden offered a range that 3% to 10% of new subs are taking 1-Gig.

Salinger said DOCSIS 3.1’s ability to support multiple modulation profiles is a “significant benefit” as Comcast continues to expand its reach.

RELATED: Comcast Sets DOCSIS 3.1 Expansion, Launches 1-Gig in Detroit

“It’s in full swing of execution,” he said of that deployment. “The idea is to have gigabit service everywhere.”

Salinger also talked about the importance of an MSO having its own speed test tools to show or demonstrate that D3.1 is performing at the right levels as some subscribers don’t have in-home equipment that can support 1-Gig.

RCN Corp. said it has launched a DOCSIS 3.1-based 1 Gbps (downstream) residential service in Boston starting at $69.99 per month.

RCN, which competes with Comcast in the market, said its 1-Gig offering there is offered without a contract.

RELATED: RCN Launches 1-Gig in NYC

RCN has also launched D3.1 in Chicago; Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley, Pa.; New York City, and Washington, D.C. It's been pairing its uncapped 1-Gig downstream service with an upstream that maxes out at 20 Mbps.

Webpass, the wireless broadband unit of Google Fiber, said it has launched in Denver and identified the “first apartment community” to receive service, which delivers up to 1 Gbps for $60 per month.

Google Fiber, which will compete in the market with incumbents that include Comcast and CenturyLink, confirmed that the Larimer Place condos at 16th street and Larimer Street in downtown Denver, is the first community to getting access to the Webpass service in the Mile High City. Webpass noted that it is currently building out its local data center stack that will allow installation of point-to-point wireless radios to provide service to customers in the area.

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

Webpass also announced that it has hired Roger Fitch as the GM who will head up the company’s Denver-area business. Fitch is also late of MultiTek Global, McAfee, StorageTek, OneSecure and Global Crossing, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Webpass also offers service in parts of Boston; Miami; Chicago; and San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley, Calif.

Ars Technica reports that a new job listing indicates that Webpass is also targeting Seattle.

The launch in the Denver area amplifies Google Fiber’s new emphasis on wireless-based broadband as it concentrates on existing FTTP deployment markets and puts plans to expand into some markets on the backburner.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Earlier this month, the company announced Gregory McCray as CEO of Alphabet’s Access division, which includes Google Fiber.

Google Fiber and the Access unit of parent company Alphabet has a new CEO, who is coming on board amid the move to a more decentralized structure that will affect hundreds of employees while enabling the division to remain committed to its current batch of cities and push into a small group of new ones.  

On the leadership front, Alphabet has tapped Gregory McCray as CEO of its Access division, which includes operations of Google Fiber, which is building out FTTP networks that support gigabit broadband, voice and TV services.

McCray, who has been serving as CEO of Aero Communications and on the board of CenturyLink, takes over in the role previously held by Craig Barratt, who has since resigned that post and was recently named CEO of Barefoot Networks, a maker of fast, programmable Ethernet switch chips that counts Google among its financial backers. Late last year, The Information reported that CenturyLink was a “potential acquirer” of Google Fiber.

RELATED: Building Fiber Networks: Difficult and Lame?

“Google Fiber has been instrumental making the web faster and better for everyone — something I’ve been passionate about my entire career,” McCray said, in a statement. “I’m thrilled to lead Access as we continue in our mission to connect more people to abundant access, on networks that are always fast and always open.”

McCray heads up Access following a recent decision to pause Google Fiber’s expansion plans as it concentrated on current deployments and explored less expensive wireless broadband alternatives.  

 RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

“Google Fiber remains focused on our customers and cities. We want to bring Google Fiber to customers faster, so we’re focused on making deployment more efficient and less intrusive,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said. “We’re thrilled that Greg has agreed to join as CEO, to drive this innovation and to grow the business.”

The Google Fiber team is moving to a more decentralized structure that will allow for more innovation to come from the field, but a move that will also result in hundreds of employees shifting into new roles in Google and Alphabet, a person familiar with the matter said, confirming a story first reported by Bloomberg.

The new structure, the person added, will likewise mean that Access will look a bit more like a startup again, with a focus on innovations designed to improve business results and service velocity.

Google Fiber, the person added, will also look to serve existing subscribers and add new ones in the current cities, and is now in position to push ahead with previous plans to enter new cities such as Huntsville, Ala.; Louisville, Ky., and San Antonio, Texas.

RELATED: Google Fiber to Ride Muni-Owned Huntsville Network

Cities still on Google Fiber’s list for “potential” build outs include Dallas, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Jose, Calif., Tampa, Fla.; and Portland, Ore.  

Cities supported by Webpass, the wireless broadband company acquired last fall by Google Fiber, include Boston; Chicago; Miami, San Diego, San Francisco, and Oakland.

Mediacom Communications said it has launched DOCSIS 3.1-fueled 1 Gbps broadband service across its Huntsville, Ala., service footprint and other areas where it serves residential and business customers in the northern part of the state and in southern Tennessee.

In addition to Huntsville, today’s launch also includes Madison County and Limestone County, Ala., and Giles County and Lincoln County, Tenn.

Huntsville continues to be a gigabit hotbed. Comcast announced this week that it plans to offer 1-Gig broadband there later this year using DOCSIS 3.1. Huntsville  is also home to  some fiber-based gigabit services from AT&T and from a local municipality that is teaming up with Google Fiber and other partners. 

The latest service launch follows last month’s launch of 1-Gig service across its Iowa footprint, and its announcement late last year 2016 that Mediacom would upgrade its network to D3.1 by the end of 2016.

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Last month, Mediacom said its 1-Gig (downstream) service,  paired with upstream speeds up to 50 Mbps, is priced at $139.99 per month as a standalone, along with “promotional package offers” that will also be announced at a later date.  Along with 1-Gig, Mediacom is also introducing a new 500 Mbps broadband service.

Mediacom’s DOCSIS 3.1-based 1-Gig offering comes with a monthly data limit of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage). 

Mediacom’s plan is to bring gigabit broadband services to “virtually all” of the 3 million homes and businesses served in its 22 state footprint. So far, Mediacom has launched 1 Gbps service to more than 350 communities.

“In addition to enhancing speeds for residential and small business customers today, the Gigasphere platform we have deployed also lays the groundwork for offering multi-Gig services in the future,” Mediacom CTO JR Walden said, in a statement. “This next generation technology is an excellent complement to the Gigabit+ Fiber Solutions that Mediacom Business has been offering local businesses in our markets for many years.” 

AT&T Fiber said its FTTP network and 1 Gbps broadband service will reach 51 major metros by the end of the month following launches in a handful of additional markets.

That latest batch of launches includes parts of Columbia, S.C.; Jackson, Miss.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Shreveport, La.

AT&T Fiber, recently rebranded from AT&T GigaPower, said it now offers 1-Gig connections to nearly 4 million customer locations, of which about 650,000 are apartments and condo units.

Speaking on AT&T’s recent earnings call, company CFO John Stephens said AT&T is “ahead of plan” with the company’s FTTP buildout, citing the 4 million current locations, with 12.5 million locations still being targeted by the buildout.

He said broadband penetration is 9% higher in FTTP markets versus AT&T’s non-fiber footprint, and that about half of new broadband subs in fiber markets take speeds of 100 Mbps or more, and 30% are taking 1 Gig.

BlueStream, an operator formerly known as Advanced Cable Communications, this week launched a 1-Gig broadband service and a new TiVo-powered video offering in Coral Springs, and Weston, Fla.

Blue Stream is selling the 1-Gig (downstream) service (with a 35 Mbps upstream)  for $59.95 per month for the first 24 months. The regular price for 1-Gig is $109.95 per month. 

The TiVo-based service allows subs to record up to six shows at once, and will be integrating access to OTT services like Netflix and YouTube this summer. 

“We are thrilled that we can now offer residents and businesses the fastest Internet speeds,” Joe Canavan, Blue Stream’s COO, said in a statement. “People are crying out for the fastest Internet and best TV experience, and as a local business, we are delighted to answer that call.”

Google Fiber said it has begun to sign-up residential and business customers in North Hills, the mid-town area of Raleigh, N.C.

Google Fiber said the debut there, which comes five months after Google Fiber’s launch in Morrisville, also comes amid the grand opening of its new Raleigh Fiber Space facility in the 518 West Jones building in Glenwood South, Erik Garr, Google Fiber’s southeast regional manager, announced via this blog post.

In Raleigh, Google Fiber’s residential plans include Fiber 100 (symmetrical 100 Mbps) for $50 per month (or starting at $140 per month with a TV bundle), and Fiber 1000 (1-Gig symmetrical) for $70 per month (TV bundles start at $160). Google Fiber is also selling three services tailored for businesses.

Google Fiber competes in the market with incumbents that include Charter Communications and AT&T, which is also offering a fiber-based 1-Gig service in select areas.

Garr also noted that Google Fiber is preparing to serve its first “Gigabit Communities” property at The Oaks in the coming months, referring to a program that brings free 1-Gig to select public and low-income housing properties.

Google Fiber has also begun to highlight markets supported by Webpass, the wireless broadband provider that the company acquired in October 2016.

RELATED: Google Fiber Wraps Webpass Buy

“Since we announced that Webpass is part of the Google Fiber family last year, we’ve been working together in the cities both Webpass and Google Fiber share: Chicago, San Diego and San Francisco,” Dennis Kish, president of Google Fiber, announced.  “Webpass has been offering superfast Internet service — up to a gigabit per second — in these cities for some time, and has the full support of Google Fiber to continue doing so going forward.”

Webpass-enabled Google Fiber markets are now represented on the company’s deployment map with a green-colored pin.  Others Webpass markets include Oakland, Miami, and Boston.

Google Fiber’s greater focus on Webpass markets follows a decision last year to pause expansion plans as it focused on current deployments and continues to pursue less expensive wireless options.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Google Fiber is part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets,” a unit focused on longer-term, so-called “moonshot” projects. For all of 2016, that unit generated revenues of $809 million, up 82%, driven primary by Nest, Google Fiber and Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), alongside an operating loss of $3.6 billion.

Antietam Cable Television said it has launched Phase 2 of its 1 Gbps fiber-to-the-home/business network by expanding it to the entire town of Boonsboro, Md.

That network, branded as Flight Gigabit, will pass an additional 5,000 homes and businesses in Boonsboro and additional areas of Washington County to be announced when it’s completed by this fall, the company said.

With Phase 2, Antietam Cable is adding $3 million of private equity, expanding its total investment to $6 million for Flight Internet, and a plan to extend access to more than 11,000 homes and businesses in 2017. Last year, the operator launched Phase 1 of Flight Gigabit to 6,000 homes and residences in Hagerstown. Antietam Cable has been asked about pricing on the operator's symmetrical 1-Gig product.

Update: Promotional pricing on the residential is $99 per month for the first year, and $199 per month for businesses for the first two years, a company official said. 

“We’re pleased to expand Flight Gigabit to all of Boonsboro and additional areas of Washington County. This is the right investment at the right time and will have a positive impact in the communities we serve,” Brian Lynch, president Antietam Cable, said in a statement. “Phase 2 is a continuation of Antietam’s commitment to enhance the lives of our customers with state of the art technology and the best customer experience."

Mediacom Communications is following through with its big commitment to deploy DOCSIS 3.1 with the debut of a 1 Gbps broadband service that’s initially available across the MSO’s Iowa footprint, which covers nearly 1 million homes and spans about 300 communities.

A Mediacom official said pricing on the 1-Gig (downstream) service will be $139.99 per month as a standalone, along with “promotional package offers” that will also be made available later.

The new service, which is paired with an upstream that maxes out at 50 Mbps, is also outfitted with a monthly data usage allowance of 6 terabytes before overage charges are applied ($10 for each additional bucket of 50 GB of usage). Mediacom is relying on D3.1-based network equipment from Cisco Systems and Casa Systems, and is using multiple modem vendors that have not yet been announced. JR Walden, Mediacom’s CTO, noted in the announcement that the DOCSIS 3.1-based offering complements the company’s fiber-based gigabit service for businesses. 

The service launch in Iowa follows Mediacom’s announcement in December 2016 that it would upgrade its network to D3.1 by the end of 2016, paving the way for speed tiers that deliver up to 1 Gbps, and a new service tier that delivers up to 500 Mbps. Before D3.1 technology was developed, Mediacom has also been using DOCSIS 3.0 for a residential 1-Gig service in some markets. 

RELATED: Mediacom Goes Big With DOCSIS 3.1

Mediacom hasn’t announced where it will launch the new, speedier services next, but noted that it will be expanding it on a market-by-market basis throughout 2017.

RELATED: Comcast Sets DOCSIS 3.1 Expansion, Launches 1-Gig in Detroit

“Since 1999, Mediacom has invested $3 billion of private capital in Iowa to ensure that hard-working families throughout the Hawkeye State receive the same advanced communications services as America’s largest cities,” Mediacom founder and CEO Rocco B. Commisso said in a statement. “As a result of these investments, I am extremely proud to announce that Iowa is not only Mediacom’s first gigabit state, but now leads all U.S. states in gigabit broadband availability.”

“I launched Connect Iowa nearly five years ago with the goal of making Iowa the most connected state for broadband in the Midwest,” added Governor Terry Branstad. “Today’s announcement by Mediacom means that over three quarters of the homes in our state now have access to world-class internet speeds, and that Iowa is positioned at the forefront of America’s transition into the gigabit era.” 

“In today’s global marketplace, access to ultra-fast broadband services is critical to ensuring sustainable economic growth within our rural communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds. “The fact that Mediacom is making gigabit speeds available throughout its entire Iowa service area puts hundreds of small towns across our state on the cutting edge of broadband technology.” 

AT&T Fiber said it has introduced 1-Gig broadband service to parts of three more markets – Greenville, S.C.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Sacramento,  Calif.

There, AT&T Fiber’s standalone 1-Gig service starts at $90 per month.

RELATED: Good-Bye, GigaPower...Hello ‘AT&T Fiber’

With those additions, AT&T Fiber said it has launched service to parts of 46 metros nationwide and 3 million “locations,” including more than 500,000 apartments and condo units. AT&T Fiber said the latest deployments fulfills its commitment to bring service to at least 45 major metros by the end of 2016.

AT&T Fiber plans to expand to at least 67 metros.

RELATED: AT&T to Tweak, Raise Broadband Data Plans

Tied into a rebrand of its fiber-based offering, AT&Trecentlysunset Internet Preferences, a targeted Web advertising program it has been using in tandem with its lower-cost 1-Gig broadband service tiers. 

Cable One recently launched its 1-Gig (downstream) residential service in Twin Falls, Idaho, as the MSO moves ahead on a plan to deploy gigabit residential service across most of its footprint by the end of 2016.

The launch of the operator’s “GigaONE” service follows recent debuts in Globe and Miami, Ariz.

To deliver GigaONE, Cable One is currently using DOCSIS 3.0 technology and modems that can bond up to 32 6-MHz-wide downstream channels. The service pairs a 1-Gig downstream with an upstream path that maxes out at 50 Mbps.

CableOne’s been selling the 1-Gig plan for $175 per month along with a 500 Gigabyte data plan. Cable One’s FAQ for GigaONE notes that additional data plans up to 2 terabytes are available. In 2013, Cable ONE eliminated a policy that charged extra when customers exceeded their monthly data usage caps. In its place is an “excessive use” policy that encourages customers to switch to a higher level of service if they exceed their data plan three or more times in a rolling 12-month period

"GigaONE will support the technology needs of the communities we serve, now and in the future," Joe Felbab, VP of marketing for Cable One, said in a statement. "We are excited to be able to offer Gigabit service to nearly 1.5 million homes in the markets we serve."

Cable One, which estimates it has invested more than $500 million over the past five years on network upgrades, serves about 700,000 customers in parts of 19 states. 

RCN Corp. will beat Comcast to the punch in the Philadelphia area with a 1-Gig (downstream) residential broadband product that uses DOCSIS 3.1, Philly.com first reported.

RCN COO Chris Fenger told the pub that the competitive overbuilder will introduce the offering on Thursday for $69.99 per month, alongside a $15 rental fee for the new D3.1 modem.

RCN confirmed that the initial launch will target its Delaware County areas, including Clifton Heights, Darby, Drexel Hill, Upper Darby and Yeadon.  The operator noted that it is also launching a 330 Mbps offering in Lehigh Valley.

Comcast recently announced it will soon expand the reach of a gigabit service that utilizes DOCSIS 3.1 in Colorado, Kansas City, Oregon, Washington, Knoxville, and California, ut has not said when it will debut that service in the Philly area. In the meantime, Comcast does offer a pricier, symmetrical 2-Gig residential service in the Philly area that uses FTTP technology.

RCN has already introduced uncapped, D3.1-based 1-Gig service in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. RCN is also offering it for $69.99 per month for 12 months, but hasn’t announced how the price will change following that period.

RELATED: RCN’s 1-Gig Goes to Washington

RCN Corp. said it has launched 1-Gig residential broadband across its serviceable areas in the D.C. Metro area.  

RCN Launches 1-Gig in NYC

RCN, which competes with Comcast in the market, said the rollout there includes Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Maryland, Falls Church and the Braemar community in Bristow, Virginia.

Like its rollouts in Chicago and New York, RCN’s residential, uncapped 1-Gig (downstream) service will be powered by DOCSIS 3.1, the new multi-gigabit platform for HFC networks.

RCN is selling 1-Gig for $69.99 per month for the first 12 months, but has not announced how pricing for the tier will change following the first year.

Last week, Comcast announced it was deploying D3.1 and 1-Gig service to several markets, including Denver, San Francisco, and Kansas City, but has not yet said when it intends to offer it in the nation’s capital. Comcast does offer Gigabit Pro, a 2-Gig symmetrical FTTP service, in the market.

“The fastest Internet speeds in the market are now available to the D.C. area where reliable, uninterrupted and high performance speed is in high demand,” Sanford Ames, Jr., senior vice president and general manager of RCN D.C. Metro, said in a statement. “We recognize our customer’s need for speed is getting stronger with multiple devices, Over-The-Top (OTT) video content, smart homes and more. By integrating the newest technologies, RCN remains unrivalled in D.C. innovation. RCN 1 Gig customers will notice a big difference in the way they access the internet and share bandwidth in the home.”

Comcast is preparing to launch 1-Gig (downstream) broadband service using DOCSIS 3.1 in several new markets in early 2017, according to a mix of local reports, a formal announcement and an updated gigabit deployment map.  

Comcast has consumer trials underway in Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta, and has already announced that Detroit and Miami will be soon added to that list.

Update: Comcast announced today that it has launched 1-Gig service via D3.1 in Detroit, with a base price of $139.95 per month while also testing “promotional base pricing” of $70 per month with a three-year service contract. Comcast also said it still plans to launch D3.1 in Miami before the end of tye year.

RELATED: Comcast Goes For a Gig in Chicago

Notably, Comcast’s coming D3.1 expansion arrives amid a confirmation from Google Fiber that it will halt its expansion into new cities as it continues buildouts in existing 1-Gig markets and takes a closer look at potentially less expensive wireless broadband alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans, Laying Off Some Staff

Here’s a rundown of the additional areas and markets the MSO is targeting for deployment early next year, according to MSO announcements and local media reports:

-Colorado, according to The Denver Post, noting that the rollout should start in January or February. Comcast’s primary competitor there is CenturyLink, which is offering 1-Gig in select areas.  

-Suburban Kansas City, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

-Oregon and Southwest Washington, per The Oregonian, which notes that the new service might qualify the MSO for a "gigabit" tax break that state lawmakers seemingly tailored for Google Fiber, which had been exploring deployment there. That deployment includes Seattle, according to The Seattle Times.

-Knoxville, Tenn., according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

-Select cities in Comcast’s California footprint, including the San Francisco Bay Area, per this press release. Comcast noted that the following areas not part of the initial deployment that’s slated for early 2017: Sacramento, Rio Vista, Isleton, Lodi, Ukiah, Willits, Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Williams, Arbuckle, Maxwell, Citrus Heights, Folsom, McClellan AFB, Rancho Cordova, Cool, Sutter Creek, Amador City-San Andreas, Angels Camp, Arnold, Jackson, Plymouth, Lathrop, Manteca, Sonora and Tuolumne County-Sonora.

Comcast, which has been expanding the deployment of a new 1-terabyte data plan, has also updated a map showing current and planned gigabit deployments. Markets tagged as new “upcoming” deployments of 1-Gig service include Denver; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City; Knoxville, Tenn.; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose, Calif.; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.

RELATED: Comcast Launches DOCSIS 3.1 Trial in Nashville

Comcast is looking to ramp up deployment of DOCSIS 3.1, a CableLabs-specified platform for widely deployed HFC networks that is capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds.  On a more targeted basis, Comcast has also been selling Gigabit Pro, a symmetrical (and pricier) 2 Gbps residential broadband service that uses fiber-to-the-premises technologies.  

RELATED: DOCSIS 3.1 In The Wild

Comcast didn’t announce pricing for D3.1-powered 1-Gig (downstream) services coming to the new markets early next year, but the MSO’s web site is showing an advertised price of $139.95 per month. However, in test markets such as Chicago, Atlanta and Nashville, Comcast has also been promoting a $70 per month option for customers who agree to a three-year contract, and a contract-free price of $139.95 per month.

Among competitors, RCN is deploying 1-Gig over DOCSIS 3.1 in Chicago and New York City for $69.99 per month for the first 12 months.WideOpenWest is using D3.1 to power an uncapped 1-Gig service in a handful of markets for $70 per month, with a two-year contract. 

Speaking at the recent SCTE/ISBE Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia, Comcast VP of access architecture Jorge Salinger said initial trial deployments of D3.1 showed that the technology was working as advertised.

Google Fiber has hit the pause button when it comes to expansion, but reiterated that it will continue to push ahead and expand in its current batch of markets.

“We remain very committed to growth across those [existing] cities,” Ruth Porat, CFO of Google parent company Alphabet, said Thursday during the company’s Q3 earnings call.

Google Fiber was “very active in a lot of cities in the third quarter alone,” she added. “We rolled out four new cities, so that brings us to 12 cities across the U.S. where we’re deployed, in construction, or in development, and we’re making great progress in those cities.

Porat’s comments come just days after Google Fiber confirmed that it will temporarily halt expansion plans in “potential’” as it refines its deployment and technology approaches and continues to emphasize a future paved by new speedy (and less expensive) wireless platforms. Craig Barratt, CEO of Alphabet’s Access unit, is also stepping down from that role but staying on as an advisor.

RELATED: Google Fiber Pauses Expansion Plans 

“When you go back to the initial impetus for creating the business, it was the founders' view that there's a sizable opportunity given the need for abundant connectivity on networks that are always fast and always open, and we do continue to be committed to that vision,” Porat said, noting that the company has achieved “some important breakthroughs in new technologies,” particularly around wireless.

“We wanted to focus on the potential with these efforts before we reaccelerate deployment,” she added.

Google Fiber doesn’t break out revenues or subscribers, but it’s part of “Other Bets,” a unit of Alphabet that includes other early-stage and “moonshot”  projects that span a wide range of industries.

In Q3, Other Bets posted an operating loss of $865 million, narrowed from a year-ago loss of $980 million on revenue s of $197 million, up from $141 million.

Other Bets revenue was primarily generated by Nest, Google Fiber, and Verily. Porat said Fiber investment remains the primary capex driver at Other Bets.

Applying some pressure to Charter Communications and Verizon Fios, competitive cabler RCN said it has introduced a DOCSIS 3.1-powered 1-Gig residential broadband service in New York City.

The service, offered in its “serviceable areas” in NYC, including Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, starts at $69.99 per month for the first 12 months. RCN has not announced what the pricing will be after that first year. The operator has set up a web page where prospective customers can check to see if 1-Gig is available in their respective neighborhoods. RCN introduced a 330 Mbps residential tier in NYC in late 2014.

The NYC 1-Gig debut, follows RCN’s recent announcement that it was closing in on a DOCSIS 3.1 launch in Chicago, where it competes with Comcast and AT&T. In Chicago, RCN is also touting a 1-Gig (downstream) service paired with an upstream that maxes at 20 Mbps for $69.99 per month for the first 12 months. RCN does not cap its residential broadband service.

RCN has not announced when it plans to extend D3.1 service to markets such as Boston, Lehigh Valley (Pa.), Philadelphia (Delaware County) and Washington, DC.

But RCN is beating the competition to the punch with a residential 1-Gig service in NYC. Verizon Fios’s current high-end product delivers symmetrical speeds of 500 Mbps.  Prior to being acquired by Charter Communications, Time  Warner  Cable introduced a DOCSIS 3.0-based 300-Meg service in NYC as part of the MSO’s “Maxx” upgrades (those upgrades were put under review by Charter following the merger).

Altice, which competes with RCN to a smaller degree, recently launched a 300 Mbps residential high-speed Internet service in New York.

“1 Gigabit is a giant leap forward in Internet technology and RCN is the first provider to offer this new service at an affordable price to residents of New York City,” Bruce Abbott, VP, and General Manager of RCN New York, said in a statement.

Watch this RCN promo about the new 1-Gig offering:

[embed]https://vimeo.com/184366440[/embed]

Google Fiber has hit the pause button in a batch of “potential” rollout cities as the division looks to “refine” its deployment and technology approaches.

“In terms of our existing footprint, in the cities where we’ve launched or are under construction, our work will continue,” Craig Barratt, SVP of Google parent company Alphabet and CEO of the company’s Access unit, announced Tuesday in this blog post titled Advancing our amazing bet.  “For most of our “potential Fiber cities” — those where we’ve been in exploratory discussions — we’re going to pause our operations and offices while we refine our approaches.”

Barratt’s role is also changing, also announcing in the post that “I’ve decided this is the right juncture to step aside from my CEO role. Larry [Page] has asked me to continue as an advisor, so I’ll still be around.”

The pause comes as Google looks to alter the focus on its business and product strategy, as well as its technology and deployment methods, with a great emphasis on less expensive wireless broadband options.

The shift follows Google Fiber’s recent acquisition of Webpass, a point-to-point wireless broadband service provider that serves portions of San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Miami, Chicago and Boston. Google has also asked the FCC for permission to move ahead with plans to trial wireless broadband in as many as 24 U.S. locations, including New York City, Chicago and Atlanta.

RELATED: Google Touts Potential for Wireless Broadband

“In this handful of cities that are still in an exploratory stage, and in certain related areas of our supporting operations, we’ll be reducing our employee base,” Barratt added but didn’t reveal a figure.

Ars Technica reported that the Alphabet Access division that operates Google Fiber is laying off about 9% of its staff. Google Fiber has been asked for comment.

In August, The Information reported that Alphabet was making plans to cut Google Fiber’s staff in half – from 1,000 to about 500 – but a follow-up report by Light Reading said reports of a cutback of that magnitude were false.

REPORT: Alphabet to Cut Google Fiber Staff In Half: Report

Update: Google did not confirm the details of the layoff but did provide this comment from Page:  “I'm excited about the potential of providing super fast internet to more people. Craig has worked hard to scale this business, and I look forward to continue working with him in his new role as an Advisor.”

On the wireline side, Google Fiber has deployments of 1-Gig broadband and pay TV services underway in Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas); Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah; and, most recently, in The Triangle region of  North Carolina.

RELATED: Nashville Approves ‘One Touch Make Ready’ Plan

Google Fiber  has been exploring expansions in Los Angeles; Chicago; Dallas; Portland, Ore.; San Jose, Irvine and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Louisville, Ky.; and Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla. Google Fiber also has plans to offer service on a network being built by Huntsville Utilities.

MoffetNathanson analyst Craig Moffett, citing data from the U.S. Copyright Office, said in a recent report that Google Fiber ended Q2 2016 with 68,715 video subscribers, up 66.6% year-over-year, along with an estimate that Google Fiber had about 453,000 broadband customers by the end of June 2016.

Google Fiber doesn’t break out its individual revenues, but it is part of “Other Bets,” the unit of Alphabet that includes Google Fiber and other longer-term “moonshot”  projects. Other bets ,generated Q2 revenues of $185 million, up from $74 million a year ago, while operating losses widened to $709 million, from $555 million.

AT&T said it is expanding the availability of fiber-fed 1 Gbps service to portions of at least ten additional major metro areas this month.

AT&T, which recently dropped the “GigaPower” moniker in favor of a new umbrella brand, AT&T Fiber, said it has launched 1-Gig this month in Columbus, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; and  Huntsville, Ala.; and will add the following markets later this month: Augusta, Ga.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Ft. Smith/Northwest Arkansas, Ark.; Louisville, Ky.; Lubbock, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; and Mobile, Ala.

RELATED: Good-Bye, GigaPower...Hello ‘AT&T Fiber’

The company said it has introduced 1-Gig in parts of 32 major metro areas, and is on track to reach at least 45 metros by the end of 2016, and 67 overall.

AT&T claims to be marketing gigabit broadband to more 3 million “locations,” a number that it plans to expand to 12.5 million by mid-2019.

RELATED: AT&T to Tweak, Raise Broadband Data Plans

AT&T recently confirmed that it is sunsetting Internet Preferences, a targeted Web advertising program it has been using in tandem with a lower-cost 1-Gig broadband service tier. 

Competitive cable provider WideOpenWest (WOW) has pushed ahead with the launch of 1 Gbps (downstream) broadband in its first four markets – Auburn and Huntsville, Ala., and Evansville, Ind.; and Knoxville, Tenn.

Using the "Gigtopia" brand, WOW is selling 1-Gig as a standalone (and uncapped) residential service for $70 per month, so long as customers agree to a two-year contract. That pricing reflects what Google Fiber sells its standalone 1-Gig service in markets such as Kansas City; Austin, Texas; Nashville; Atlanta; Charlotte; and Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah.

WOW noted that it’s also offering bundled pricing to customers who take 1-Gig with phone and/or video service. WOW has been asked for more detail about how that option will be priced, and if it is offering 1-Gig as a standalone to customers who do not want a long-term contract.

UPDATE: WOW said it does offer 1-gig as a standalone without the need for a contract and in some of its bundles. It has yet to release pricing on those, but did note that the best offers fall under its contract options. 

WOW announced in August that it would launch 1-Gig in five markets by the end of 2016. In addition to the aforementioned group of four, it also has plans to launch the speedy offering in Grosse Point Shores, Mich., where WOW is also expanding its footprint using GPON-based fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology.

WOW CEO Steven Cochran noted at the time that the initial slate of 1-Gig deployments represent about 10% of WOW’s footprint.

RELATED: WOW Guns for a Gigabit

In areas where WOW is delivering a 1-Gig downstream (alongside an upstream that maxes out at 50 Mbps) on its HFC network, the operator is leaning on DOCSIS 3.1 technology. The operator’s primary network platform for D3.1 will be the Arris E6000 Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP), and has not yet announced which modem vendors will be part of the initial deployment. Six modem vendors have achieved DOCSIS 3.1 certification – Arris (for a retail model), Askey, CastleNet, Netgear, Sagemcom, Technicolor and Ubee Interactive.

RELATED: Cable-Tec Expo: DOCSIS 3.1 Working as Advertised

WOW joins a growing mix of MSOs that are testing or deploying D3.1-powered broadband service.

For example, RCN, another cable overbuilder, recently announced that it will soon launch a 1-Gig service using DOCSIS 3.1 in parts of Chicago for $69.99 per month for 12 months. Comcast has advanced market trials of D3.1 underway in Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta, with Miami and Detroit on deck.

RELATED: DOCSIS 3.1 In The Wild 

WOW has also introduced a DOCSIS 3.0-based 600 Mbps (downstream) broadband service that is available across about 90% of its footprint. 

Cable One has launched 1-Gig broadband in Globe and Miami, Ariz., as the MSO pushes ahead with a plan to offer gigabit residential service across most of its markets by the end of 2016.

The offering, called GigaONE, currently relies on DOCSIS 3.0 technology and modems that can bond up to 32 6-MHz-wide downstream channels.

GigaONE, which pairs a 1 Gbps downstream with an upstream that maxes out at 50 Mbps, sells for $175 per month and includes the MSO’s 500 Gigabyte data plan. Cable One’s FAQ for GigaONE notes that additional data plans up to 2 terabytes are available.

In 2013, Cable ONE eliminated a policy that charged extra when customers exceeded their monthly data usage caps. In its place is an “excessive use” policy that encourages customers to switch to a higher level of service if they exceed their data plan three or more times in a rolling 12-month period.

"GigaONE will support the technology needs of the communities we serve, now and in the future," Joe Felbab, VP of marketing for Cable One, said in a statement. "We are excited to be able to offer Gigabit service to nearly 1.5 million homes in the markets we serve."

Cable One noted that it has invested more than $500 million over the past five years on network upgrades and enhancements.

Other recent GigaONE launched include Anniston, Ala.; and Boise and Western Idaho. 

Altice USA-owned Suddenlink has launched 1 Gbps (downstream) residential service in three more markets -- Clovis and Texico, N.M., and Farwell, Texas.

The addition of the 1-Gig tier is being accompanied by some free speed upgrades, with customers on 75-Meg and 100-Meg service being bumped up to 100-Meg and 200-Meg, respectively.

The standard Suddenlink residential download speeds in Clovis, Texico and Farwell are now 50 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 200 Mbps, along with the new 1 Gbps service.

Suddenlink started to offer a DOCSIS 3.0-based 1-Gig service in July 2015 as part of a broader “Project GigaSpeed” initiative that envisioned offering gigabit speeds to 90% of Suddenlink's footprint by 2017. That initiative is continuing under Altice. Suddenlink has been pricing stand-alone 1-Gig at $99 per month.

“Today’s announcement is the next step in Operation GigaSpeed, the company-wide plan we announced in August of 2014,” Brian Borthwick, Altice USA’s VP of Suddenlink operations, said in a statement. “In sharp contrast to other large providers, which are offering a Gigabit service primarily to a few neighborhoods in large urban markets, we’re pleased to be making our Suddenlink Gigabit service available in all of the neighborhoods and to all of the households and businesses we serve throughout Clovis, Texico and Farwell.”

In April, Suddenlink added an unlimited data option for its two fastest tiers in a given market. Those complement the MSO's usage-based plans that charge extra ($10 for an additional bucket of 50 Gigabytes) when customers exceed their monthly limit a third time. 

AT&T said it will deliver gigabit service to 11 more metro areas as it also drops the “GigaPower” name and starts to employ a new umbrella brand --  AT&T Fiber.

The additional metros that will get 1-Gig from AT&T Fiber include Gainesville and Panama City, Fla; Columbus, Ga.; Central Kentucky; Lafayette, La.; Biloxi-Gulfport and Northeast Mississippi; Wilmington, N.C.; Southeastern Tennessee and Knoxville; and Corpus Christi, Texas.

AT&T said the expansions increase its commitment to bring gigabit service to parts of at least 67 metros, and expects to have 45 of them online by the end of 2016. AT&T Fiber service is already deployed in 29 metro areas spanning 3 million “locations,” the company said, noting that it’s on track to exceed 12.5 million locations planned by mid-2019.

“Customer demand for high-speed connectivity is exceeding even our high expectations. Today we’re also introducing the AT&T Fiber umbrella brand, which lets us bring ultra-fast internet to even more residential and business customers through a mix of the latest network technologies,” David Christopher, chief marketing officer of the AT&T Entertainment Group, said in a statement.

AT&T said the new AT&T Fiber brand includes, but isn’t limited to, the former AT&T GigaPower network.

“We will announce additional network technologies and products in our AT&T Fiber umbrella brand in the near future,” the company said. Last month, AT&Tintroduced Project AirGig, an emerging platform that is designed to deliver low-cost, multi-gigabit wireless Internet speeds backed by power lines.

The brand change also comes as AT&T sunsets Internet Preferences, a targeted Web advertising program it has been using in tandem with its lower-cost 1-Gig broadband service tiers. 

Taking a page from the Google Fiber playbook on pricing, RCN said it will “soon” launch a 1 Gbps (downstream) service in parts of Chicago for $69.99 per month for 12 months.

The service, which will use DOCSIS 3.1 technology, will initially be offered to RCN customers in Skokie and Lincolnwood. RCN has also set up a web site where interested customers can be alerted on when the service will become available to them.

RELATED: TPG Capital Puts Up $2.25B for RCN and Grande Communications

RCN’s introductory pricing for 1-Gig comes in just below the promotional price of $70 per month (with unlimited data) Comcast is using for its DOCSIS 3.1 gigabit consumer trial in Chicago for customers who agree to a three-year contract. The contract-free price is $139.00 per month. AT&T’s symmetrical 1-Gig offering in parts of  Chicago is being sold for $90 as a standalone, with a 12-month agreement and unlimited data.

RCN said its gigabit service in Chicago will have no contracts and caps. Multichannel News has asked RCN what the pricing will be after the initial 12 month period, and to detail the upstream speed customers are getting with the new D3.1 service, and will update the story when the info becomes available.

Update: RCN is pairing its 1-Gig downstream with an upstream that maxes out at 20 Mbps. It has not announced pricing following the initial 12-month period, but noted that customers will be notified of the change in the rate, which will remain "competitive" and also be based on how customers are bundling broadband with other RCN services. 

Comcast’s 1-Gig downstream D3.1 offering is currently paired with an upstream that maxes out at 35 Mbps.

RCN has not announced when it plans to extend D3.1 service to its other markets, which include Boston, Lehigh Valley (Pa.), New York City, Philadelphia (Delaware County) and Washington, DC.

“The capacity provided by 1 Gigabit is massive, and it more than keeps up with the explosive growth of internet usage,” said Chris Fenger, COO of RCN. “Year-over-year internet usage is increasing 35-50 percent and the average home now has 7.8 internet-connected devices, which represents an increase of 64 million devices over the past year alone. This continued trend confirms that DOCSIS 3.1 is a critical technology for the future, enabling not only Gigabit internet speeds, but also future enhancements such as IP video and other advanced services. RCN remains committed to staying at the forefront of innovation to offer customers the fastest speeds, increased reliability and the best customer experience.”

While emerging “Full Duplex” DOCSIS technology aims to bring symmetrical, multi-gigabit speeds to hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, Antronix has developed a new, possibly complementary, hybrid PON/HFC platform that, it says, can also deliver multi-gigabit speeds by taking advantage of high-spectrum frequencies.

Get complete coverage of Cable-Tec Expo 2016

As an overlay approach, Antronix’s “Intercept eHFC” platform is designed to enhance existing DOCSIS capacity and deliver symmetrical data while keeping the cost-per-bit low using spectrum in the 3.4 GHz to 4.7 GHz range – something the vendor likes to call “Ultra Wideband.”

The platform, the company explains, delivers PON signals to the company’s access-class node in conjunction with multi-taps that are optimized to handle ultra-wideband frequencies. The cable headend, meanwhile, would require a network controller that houses the provisioning piece to control the upstream and downstream data rates. In this initial phase of the product, the customer premises would require a media converter to access the additional throughputs supported by the Intercept eHFC  platform.

Antronix said its Intercept platform is compatible with DOCSIS, RF over Glass (RFoG) and MoCA 1.0 and 2.0 architectures. Like Full Duplex DOCSIS, Antronix’s Intercept eHFC platform is a node+0 solution. However, Antronix claims that the bit-per-dollar of its platform will be lower than that of traditional DOCSIS QAMs.

RELATED: CableLabs: DOCSIS 3.1 Upstream Booster on Fast Track

Antronix sees its technology fitting into consumer and business services applications, though it views residential as the more challenged of the two when it comes to delivering gigabit speeds.

“We think it will play well in both markets,” Dave Wachob, Antronix’s director of business development, said of Intercept eHFC. “Consumers baffled us all on their thirst for data so we think that will continue.”

DOCSIS 3.1 represents a good “incremental leap” for cable operators, but this new approach could help MSOs free up spectrum for other services because the platform delivers service at higher frequencies, Juan Bravo, vice president of national sales at Antronix, added.

Antronix expects to have trials underway by the first quarter of 2017, and to have the platform production-ready by Q2 2017.