ALBANY, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mediacom Communications today announced the company has launched 1 Gig Internet speeds within its extensive Georgia service territory. As a result, 275,000 households in more than 50 southwest Georgia communities passed by Mediacom’s fiber-rich digital network will be able to enjoy download speeds that are up to 40 times faster than the minimum broadband definition set by the Federal Communications Commission.
“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,” said Doug Frank, Group Vice President for Mediacom’s Coastal Region. “As a result of these investments, we are extremely proud to be adding the cities and towns we serve in southwest Georgia to Mediacom’s rapidly expanding list of true gigabit communities.”
Mediacom was the first major U.S. cable company to fully transition to the DOCSIS 3.1 “Gigasphere” platform, the latest generation of broadband technology. The company will utilize Gigasphere to bring gigabit broadband services to virtually all of the 3 million homes and businesses within its 22 state footprint. To date, Mediacom has launched 1 Gig Internet services in over 600 communities. As DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems become more readily available in the marketplace, Mediacom will announce additional 1 Gig Internet launches on a market by market basis throughout the remainder of the year. In conjunction with each 1 Gig Internet announcement, Mediacom will also introduce a new 500 Mbps tier of service.
“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. “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.”
“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,” said Mediacom’s Chief Technology Officer, JR Walden. “This next generation technology is an excellent complement to the Gigabit+ Fiber SolutionsTM that Mediacom Business has been offering local businesses in our markets for many years.”
About DOCSIS 3.1 Gigasphere Technology
The cable network is composed of a hybrid of optical fiber and coaxial cable elements, and the specification that enables use of the network for broadband is known as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, or DOCSIS®. Gigasphere is the brand name for products and services that use a technical specification called DOCSIS 3.1, the next generation of DOCSIS services developed and advanced by CableLabs, the U.S. cable industry’s research and development consortium, and its members. DOCSIS 3.1 provides a near-term path toward continued improvement of cable broadband performance, with network capacity of up to 10 gigabits per second in the downstream and up to 2 gigabits per second in the upstream.
About Mediacom Communications
Mediacom Communications Corporation is the 5th largest cable operator in the U.S. serving over 1.3 million customers in smaller markets primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. Mediacom offers a wide array of information, communications and entertainment services to households and businesses, including video, high-speed data, phone, and home security and automation. Through Mediacom Business, the company provides innovative broadband solutions to commercial and public sector customers of all sizes, and sells advertising and production services under the OnMedia brand. More information about Mediacom is available at www.mediacomcable.com.
