(TNS) — More than 160,000 Connecticut residents could soon have a new option for broadband service as Comcast expands its Xfinity fiber optic network to municipalities that don’t currently offer cable internet.
Less than a year after expanding Xfinity Fiber Internet from its historic cable franchise area to Milford, Orange and Woodbridge, Comcast is now bringing Xfinity Fiber to Norwalk, Stratford and Wilton. Comcast says this new expansion will provide Xfinity Fiber network access to approximately 73,000 homes and businesses in the three municipalities, with Stratford already offering limited service.
Comcast has begun installing fiber optic cable in Norwalk and Wilton and expects to have service available to a large number of homes by the end of August. Comcast is also expanding fiber optic service to Windham County. Broadband users can stay up to date on the latest launches online at Xfinity.com/MyTown.
As an example, the Stratford area currently offers gigabit fiber service for a base rate of $50 per month to customers who sign up with no contract obligation, but customers who sign a three-year contract in Stratford can lock in the rate at $60. Lower bandwidth plans offer $10 or $20 off the monthly rate. There is an additional charge for installation, and after the first year of service, there is an additional charge for the gateway device.
“This is a great deal, and I think it shows customers have choice. That’s the good thing about having Comcast in more areas,” said Elizabeth Walden, a spokeswoman for Comcast’s Berlin office.
Comcast is offering new fiber-optic customers two years of free access to its Peacock premium streaming service, which offers programming from subsidiary NBCUniversal, and new broadband customers can get one free Xfinity Mobile line for one year for about $40 a month.
Comcast operates broadband and cable television operations in Connecticut out of a 63,000-square-foot facility in Berlin, and is also a major employer in Fairfield County, home to NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford. The company has not provided up-to-date employee numbers across its Connecticut operations.
Walden said Comcast has no immediate plans to open an Xfinity store in Norwalk and only has one in Fairfield County near Danbury Fair Mall. The closest Xfinity store to Stratford is in Derby, less than 20 minutes north.
Comcast increased broadband revenue across the U.S. by 3% in the second quarter, though the company does not disclose broadband revenue at the state level. In a filing with Connecticut utility regulators, Comcast reported cable TV revenue in Connecticut for the 12 months ending in 2023 was $33.3 million, down 4.6% compared to the prior 12 months, a decline that is not as severe as the decline in cable TV revenue nationwide.
CT Cable Company
Cable companies are banking on new fiber-optic internet services to spur growth. Executives at Philadelphia-based cable giant Comcast said in July that the company expects to install fiber-optic cable in half of its existing cable footprint in the country, reaching a 60% benchmark by the end of the year.
While cable companies can use the latest technology to deliver gigabit internet over coaxial cable, fiber optic networks can offer similar speeds for video uploads, making them a big attraction for some customers.
Optimum has been the dominant cable broadband provider in much of Fairfield County since its days as Cablevision, which Altice USA acquired in 2015. Altice USA reported that 60% of its second-quarter fiber optic internet net profits came from existing customers who had previously subscribed to its cable internet service.
“The Cablevision legacy business is one we are extremely focused on. Over the past quarter, we have launched new hyper-local market development strategies and have seen incredible stability in our operations across the 100-plus markets where we have launched,” Altice USA CEO Dennis Mathews said on a conference call in early August. “We are seeing improved competitive positioning.”
Frontier has been rolling out fiber-optic internet service across the state for several years, and some areas of Connecticut are served by cable and fiber-optic broadband providers including Stamford-based Charter Communications, Cox, Breezeline and GoNetspeed.
It includes earlier reports by Paul Schott and Luther Turmelle.
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