Super-fast internet service is coming to metro Atlanta in a matter of weeks, as Comcast looks to get a head start on its rivals.
Comcast, metro Atlanta's largest cable provider, announced Thursday it will offer the fast internet connections to about 1.5 million homes in the area beginning next month. The proposed 2 gigabit-per-second service would be 200 times faster than the average for U.S. homes.
You'll be able to download an HD movie in about 12 seconds with the new service, and your family would be able to use multiple online connections at the same time with virtually no delay.
Comcast has not said how much the service will cost. Spokesman Alex Horwitz tells the AJC “The goal is to get the fastest speeds to the most people as quickly as possible.”
Metro Atlanta will be the first in the country to get the lightning-fast internet connections. It gives Comcast a head start on Google and AT&T, which have said they will provide faster internet to certain metro Atlanta cities.
WSB's Clark Howard says it will be expensive at first, but having Google around will help consumers.
He says "Comcast and its fellow cable operators are terrified of Google." Howard says "Google is intending to serve 20 percent of households in metro Atlanta. Comcast will be able to reach more. The unknown is what price." He says "As Google wires neighborhoods, Comcast will offer discounts."
Georgia Tech chief technology officer Ron Hutchins calls this "great" news for metro Atlanta. He tells the AJC competition will "drive prices down and give us better quality."
Howard says "The reality is technology marches on, and our wallets are all going to be smiling."