Cox will start its gigabit internet rollout in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha
Bandwidth-hungry internet users can register a few new cities as potentially acceptable places to live. Following Google Fiber and AT&T, Cox Communications is one of the first big cable companies to announce plans for internet service at gigabit speeds, and the initial areas on its list are Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha. It's also extending its WiFi hotspot program to Phoenix and Las Vegas, and promises the high speed connections will both to neighborhoods and "select" new condo or apartment developments. If you have Cox but don't live in those areas you're not entirely out of luck, since it's also cranking up the speeds on its existing tiers this year. The Preferred tier will go from 25Mbps to 50Mbps, while its high speed internet service is going from 50Mbps to 100Mbps. The bad news? The gigabit rollout could take a while, since the company is only saying it will begin rolling out these speeds in all of its markets by the end of 2016.
[Image credit: Ed Shadid / Flickr]
Other details that we're waiting to have filled in are the stats of its bandwidth limit (currently up to 400GB on some tiers, after which customers are notified) and pricing for the speedy new service. Cox president Pat Esser told the WSJ that the company wouldn't require sweeteners from areas where it will roll out the service, and that it would be "affordably priced." While it's nice to hear that higher speeds are on the way, without a definite timetable or specifics, it's hard to compare to services already in use in at least a few areas. Hopefully Cox comes up with more details (and the rest of the industry gets into the Gigasphere trend) soon, if you see trucks upgrading equipment in your neck of the woods or get a flyer promising eye-popping speeds then let us know.
