Thanks to recent upgrades to its network, Comcast Corp.’s residential and commercial clients across a large swath of West Michigan now have easier access to 1 gigabit-per-second internet speeds.
Comcast announced Monday that customers in Fremont, Laketown Township, Muskegon, Saugatuck and South Haven can now utilize the enhanced internet speeds by using existing network infrastructure.
COURTESY PHOTO
These upgrades are the latest for Comcast, which has invested $200 million into its West Michigan network over the last two-and-a-half-years.
Michelle Gilbert, vice president of public relations for Comcast Cable Heartland Region, told MiBiz that the 1-gigabit-per-second internet speed was already available in these regions. But to utilize them, residential and commercial clients would require a more laborious and costly installation process.
Now, all clients need is a modem that is capable of handling the faster speeds. Comcast offers one of its own.
The upgrades come as demand for working and learning from home — as well as telehealth — has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Even before we launched 1 gig, the other speed plans that were available particularly for residential use are more than enough speed for learning and working from home,” Gilbert said. “With that being said, this is one more option for those very data-heavy types of customers.”
Gilbert said the new service should especially be attractive for small and medium-size businesses.
“A lot of small and medium-size businesses may be smaller in terms of number of employees but their need for speed and the way in which they’re using data is just as sophisticated as a larger company,” Gilbert said. “They have the same demands. This levels the playing field.”
