Comcast Rolls 100 Meg Business Internet In California, Virginia

Comcast now offers its 100 Megabit per second high-speed Internet service to businesses in its Northern California and Richmond, Va., regions, positioning the DOCSIS 3.0-based services as much faster alternative to telcos' traditional T-1 lines.

The 100 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload tier -- one of the fastest broadband services available in the U.S. -- is as much as 60 times faster than the download speeds provided by a 1.5 Mbps T-1 line.

The 100 Mbps service tier is available to Comcast Business Class customers for $369.95 per month (on a standalone basis), which includes Microsoft Communication Services and Norton Business Suite software for up to 25 PCs. The MSO also offers special bundled pricing with video and voice services.

Comcast offers the "Deluxe 100" service in several other markets including: Colorado, Minneapolis/St. Paul, parts of New Jersey; Philadelphia and surrounding counties; Harrisburg, Pa., and parts of central Pennsylvania; northern Delaware; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Memphis, Tenn.; Augusta, Ga.; and Washington State and Oregon.

"Internet speeds this fast are a game changer for businesses," Comcast Business Services president Bill Stemper said in a statement. "100 Mbps provides the bandwidth required for an office full of people to access the hosted, cloud-based services that are fueling business productivity while also reducing costs."

In California, Comcast also is making its voice solution, called Comcast Business Class Trunks, available to business customers. The Comcast Business Class Trunks service provides a connection between the customer's telephone system (PBX) and the Comcast network with support for 6 to 23 voice channels.