Comcast Business expands commercial fiber network, brings multi-Gigabit Ethernet to underserved Kent, WA

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Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, has announced a commercial fiber network expansion, capable of bandwidth up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps), to underserved commercial areas in Kent, Washington, the sixth largest city in the state. The network build out will bring Comcast Business Ethernet services to more than 150 local businesses for the first time, providing a cost-effective solution to increase speed, scale bandwidth, or connect multiple office locations on one dedicated network.

“While the Puget Sound region is known for its strong ties to the technology industry, some commercial areas suffer from lack of ‘last mile’ access to high-speed Internet and data, limiting the ability for resident companies to achieve their full potential,” said Matt Fassnacht, vice president of Comcast Business for Washington. “This expansion will help companies in Kent to grow and expand their businesses, while helping to increase operational efficiency.”

Comcast said in a statement that it will focus on maintaining and expanding its fiber network throughout commercial areas in the Kent Valley, located at 72nd Avenue South from 180th on the north side to South 196th St on the south side of the town. With this enhanced access to secure and reliable Ethernet, businesses of all sizes in Kent can more effectively leverage the Internet to help increase productivity, provide better customer services, streamline their supply chain, or move their IT applications to the cloud, says the broadband provider. Kent’s diverse economic base includes manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, professional services and retail companies. As these companies expand and grow, Comcast expects its Business Ethernet service to also scale to meet these evolving bandwidth consumption demands.

“We are pleased that Comcast is making this investment in our community,” said Kent Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Andrea Keikkala. “Connecting underserved commercial areas with high capacity bandwidth for their Internet and data needs is vital for our local businesses to expand and relocate, which creates more jobs and economic opportunities.”

All of Comcast Business’s Ethernet services are delivered over an advanced network that spans 140,000 miles across 39 states and the District of Columbia. Serving 20 of the top 25 U.S. markets, Comcast says it has more than one million Ethernet-enabled buildings on its network. Fiber-based Ethernet services are available in bandwidth levels up to 10 Gbps and can be scaled in increments and offered in three different classes of service, backed by strict service level agreements and monitored 24x7x365 from Comcast’s dedicated Network Operations Centers.

In the past year, Comcast notes that it received three Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) Carrier Ethernet Awards, including the prestigious Service Provider of the Year for North America. In addition, Comcast Business was recently named the fastest-growing company ranked on Vertical Systems Group’s year-end 2013 U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD.