Cable giant Comcast said it has rolled out a new high-speed internet service in the Elm City and the region that will offer residents and businesses speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
The service, billed as among the fastest available, launched last week in 27 Connecticut towns and cities, including New Haven, Hamden and West Haven and the Middlesex County communities of Cromwell, Middlefield, Middletown and Portland.
Comcast said the service will let customers download a 150-megabyte album in two seconds, a 5-gigabyte HD movie in 40 seconds, and a 15-gigabyte video game in two minutes.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and state lawmakers representing the city applauded the launch, saying the ultra-fast speeds will give New Haven an edge in attracting high-tech companies.
“The broad availability of 1 gig service to homes and businesses throughout New Haven is critical to continued economic prosperity and growth in a high-tech and intensely competitive modern economy,” said state Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven).
Customers need to rent an xFi Advanced Gateway modem from Comcast or use their own compatible devices to get the faster download speeds, a Comcast spokeswoman said in an email.
Residential gigabit service costs around $105 a month without a contract, and a promotional package of $90 a month for the first year is being offered.
Pricing for businesses varies based on factors including the physical address, number of locations to be served and current services to which the business is subscribed, Comcast said.
The company plans to introduce the service in most of its Connecticut locations throughout 2018.
Natalie Missakian can be reached at news@newhavenbiz.com
