Comcast tests 4Gbps speeds that could ramp up your internet

Comcast has revealed a major development in its goal to deliver internet speeds of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) for broadband users.

The telecommunications giant announced that it has successfully tested a prototype 10G modem, which will utilize technology that will eventually enable multi-gigabit speeds.

An internet speed test showing increasing speeds. — Alexandr Shirokov/123RF

The test was conducted in a lab through a full duplex DOCSIS 4.0 system-on-a-chip (SoC) cable modem. The broadband firm said the result was an upload and download speed faster than 4 Gbps.

Notably, the technology behind DOCSIS 4.0 will be able to provide multi-gigabit upload and download speeds through the connections that already exist in “hundreds of millions of homes worldwide.”

Due to developers working on “every level” of the 10G architecture, internet speeds are expected to “increase significantly” beyond the 4Gbps mark in the future. As for when such technology will arrive for broadband users, Comcast has yet to confirm a launch schedule for its 10G modem.

However, the company stressed that it has been working on 10G technology for well over a year now. In October 2021, Comcast completed a successful test of a 10G connection via a virtualized cable modem termination system (vCMTS) powered by DOCSIS 4.0 technology. Preceding that milestone was the first live lab test of a 10G SOC in April 2021. In October 2020, a trial delivered 1.25Gbps upload and download speeds through the combination of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and the latest DOCSIS technology.

As for the latest milestone, Comcast’s modem test made use of the DOCSIS 4.0 FDX SoC device from April 2021 by pairing it with two cable modem chips. These were subsequently connected over a lab-based hybrid fiber-coaxial network to the vCMTS operating in DOCSIS 4.0 mode. As a result, Comcast said its most recent test represents the first complete network connection of all-DOCSIS 4.0 components that are required for deployment purposes.

“The great strength of our smart network design is that we are able to exceed our customers’ demands today, even as we continuously evolve to meet the needs of the future,” said Charlie Herrin, president of Technology, Product, Experience at Comcast Cable. “As our 10G journey continues to accelerate, customers will reap the benefits of ever-increasing security, reliability, and speed.”

“With each new milestone, we get a clearer picture of how 10G technologies will unlock the next generation of speed and performance for millions of people worldwide,” added Elad Nafshi, senior vice president of Next Generation Access Networks at Comcast Cable.

While 10Gbps internet speed is evidently being prepared for a launch in the coming years, you may have to wait much longer for the fastest internet speed ever recorded to arrive in your home. Scientists from Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology achieved a staggering 319 terabits per second speed in 2021.